He's Not Our Enemy
by Sacred Jedi
Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.
1. Discovery Day, Day One, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Discovery Day: Day One, Ahsoka Tano**_

I don't know how long I've been running and, honestly, I don't care. If I'd listened to Barris then I wouldn't even be in this situation. There's three other younglings in our class that bully anyone they can get their hands on; today they tried to go after Barris.

I'm Ahsoka Tano, I'm eleven and if there is one thing you do not do, it is go after my best friend.

Barris warned me the moment I told them to back off to stop, but I did not listen. It took the best part of five minutes for their tempers to break and begin chasing me around the temple so that they could beat me up. I'm faster than they are, and more agile, so they haven't caught me. I don't know when I lost them, if I have, but I do know that I'm lost. This part of the temple is only used by masters and knights, not younglings or padawans. The only time it had seen a lot of activity was a month or so ago, when they brought in a force wielder who had saved Master Windu's life. I don't know any details, all I know is that the council think he's too dangerous to be allowed out of the temple and keep him somewhere nearby.

I slow down to a walk, thinking that I am safe, when I hear shouts from behind me. "TANO!" It's one of the three younglings, the biggest from the sounds of it. He's sort of the leader, and the other two just follow him because they don't want to get hurt. They've never gone after me before, Master Plo is always watching over me, but the one time there's no one there to look after me I have to open my big mouth. Now I know for certain I'm going to be beaten up, at some point, and there's no one to help me.

Sprinting, I race down a corridor where I come to a stop at a dead end. There's a door, it's locked, but I can open it from the outside. Behind me, I hear three sets of footsteps coming to a stop and the unmistakeable snickers that mean they've cornered me - of all the days to stand up for someone...

"Nowhere to run, Tano." The biggest taunts. "You don't know what you've gotten yourself into."

Without bothering to dignify him with a response, I whirl back around, palm open the door and quickly run inside, locking it as best I can behind me. Their snickers die down once they realise they cannot open the door and I vaguely wonder how long it will be before anyone finds me. Barris will surely tell Master Plo, then he'll come looking for me, but I don't know if I can hold out that long. They're pounding on the door now, only adding to my dread, and I step backwards out of reflex and come into contact with something soft - some_one_ soft.

I gasp and turn around, an apology and explanation having already formed in my mind when I freeze. There is a man, a really young man, standing there, looking at me curiously. He has dark blonde hair, a face that looks like it hasn't seen the sun for quite some time and his eyes... I almost wish I was on the other side of the door. His eyes aren't just one colour, they're changing. When I first look they're green, but then they change to blue and then to a brighter shade of blue, bordering on white. He looks as though he is expecting a fight at first, but looks from me to the door and back again - his expression softens slightly.

"I -" I begin my explanation when the door behind me opens loudly and I turn around.

The three younglings walk in with evil smirks on their faces, but when they look up at the man behind me they freeze and their jaws drop. I may act stupid at times, but I know for a fact that I've never looked the way they do. For a moment I think they'll run away, but then one of them grabs my arm and attempts to pull me out of the room roughly so that they can beat me up. They have overcome their shock and my fear rolls out through the force before I have a chance to stop it, and that's when it happened.

This man is not a Jedi, I know he isn't, and I have never met him before in my life, but just as I am about to be jerked forwards he moves. He is fast. Faster than anyone I have ever seen. Within half a second, the two younglings that were on either side of the biggest are flying down the corridor and the mans hand is at the biggest's throat, who is now pressed against the wall with his feet dangling in mid air from where the man is holding him by the throat. The man's eyes flash dangerously and change to a very stormy green - that borders on yellow - and I can practically see the lightning that flashes in his eyes.

"Touch her again, see what happens." growls The Man, before he releases the youngling - who is sent flying down the corridor after his friends even though the man has not moved an inch.

His gaze settles on me and I gulp nervously, wondering if the same will happen to me. I back away slightly when his eyes lose their harshness and change to a serene blue, like Master Kenobi's, except nicer. Strangely, his eyes got straight to a cut that I recieved during training - that was made painfully worse by the three younglings that were chasing me - before his gaze locks with mine.

"Are you all right?" asks The Man, not seeming as though anything that he had done was out of order.

I can't even speak now. He has to be the strangest person I've ever seen, and I can't help but reach out through the force to sense who he is - which is hard since I am only a youngling, even though I have the highest midi-chlorine count in my class - and I take another step back when I am met with a wall that won't let me through. There is something blocking everything about him and I don't like the fact that I am in the presence of a strange man who holds younglings by the throat, threatens them, and can throw them down the corridor without even moving whilst I can't sense a thing about him.

Gulping, I take another step back, fearful for my safety.

"It's all right," The Man assures me, though I do not feel like I can trust him. "I won't hurt you. I just want to see your cut."

I frown at him and do not move forwards or backwards, he is far too strange and I consider making a run for it before I realise that he is standing in the way of the door. Not to mention he can stop me without even moving. This has to be the worst situation I've ever been in, and I'm counting the time a minute ago when I was about to be beaten to a pulp. Master Plo had better get here soon, I don't know if I can stand up to someone as powerful as the man in front of me.

"Who are you?" I demand, instead of accepting the help he offers for my cut, which is starting to sting.

He stares at me for a moment, his face expressionless, before answering. "Anakin Skywalker," The Man says; I know I've heard that name somewhere before. "What's yours?"

"Tano." I answer simply, unwilling to tell him my full name.

"Nice to meet you, Ahsoka Tano." The Man known as Anakin Skywalker pronounces my first name with an edge that shows he doesn't appreciate having information held from him, not that he needed me to tell him. "Now let me see your cut or it'll get inflamed."

I open my mouth to protest, to tell him that no one – especially not a stranger – tells me what to do when the cut on my arm begins to burn, badly. It's a pain that makes me wince and I have to force the yelp back down my throat since I will not appear weak in front of someone I do not know, especially not someone as powerful as he is. Instead, I back away from him further until my legs come into contact with the bed – which I had not noticed before – and he makes me sit on it, his hands applying pressure to both or my shoulders before I can protest.

"Stay still," He orders, which I do not take kindly to. "This will seem a little strange."

Before I can even reply, he takes advantage of how still I am sitting and his hand is soon hovering just a few centimetres above my cut, which has begun to bleed and is leaving a very nasty gash on my upper arm. A strange, warm feeling begins to flood through me and my eyes widen when his hand begins to glow a startling, bright, shade of white. It's so confusing and I begin to connect a few dots in my head whilst his hand is still glowing.

He isn't a Jedi – obviously – but he lives in the temple. The door was locked from the outside so he must not have been allowed out, sort of like that force wielder -

_Force wielder._

That makes a lot of sense. Actually it doesn't, I don't know what force wielder's are and I have no idea what they do, only that they can use the force. Hence the name, force wielder. My gaze has never left his hand and a strange noise, however quiet, is made before the gash on my arm disappears completely. The only thing that is left is the blood stains on my arm and the few droplets that are still running down it, which makes me feel quezy – I can't stand the sight of blood, no matter who's it is.

A white cloth flies in from another room and he catches it in his hand without taking his eyes off of my arm, which is an obvious indicator that _he_ used the force to bring it to him. When he begins to clean my arm I can't help but feel grateful, if I had looked at my blood for a few seconds longer I would have passed out, no questions asked.

"Thanks," I mumble, completely unable to say anything else. That's another side effect of my fear of seeing blood, it renders me relatively speechless for a few seconds, or even longer if I look at it for a long amount of time. He has to be a healer, he just _has_ to be. Force wielder or not, I am certain that you need a special type of training to heal someone like _that_. After a moment, I know that he must be a healer – he has already cleaned most of the blood off of my arm and the few drops that reached my hand. The only signs of blood left are quickly cleaned and my arm looks as though it was never cut, which I find a little more than shocking.

"Don't put any pressure on it for a few minutes," He said. "That means no lifting, no using the force and nothing else." I nod in response, still unable to speak after the sight of my own blood. "You're lucky it wasn't more serious, if it was you wouldn't have been able to use your arm for a few hours at least."

I search his gaze for any signs that he is decieving me – only to find none – and take in what he looks like. I have already noted his dark blonde hair, pale features and peculiar eyes, but his clothes seem not to suit him. Perhaps they were chosen for him, I don't know, because he had on some brown boots, jeans and a white shirt. In fact, his clothes looked as though they had come from the temple storage room – meaning he is being held here for a reason, the most likely being that the council have no idea what to do with him.

Pushing aside any small talk ideas that I have in my head, I get straight to the point. "Why are you here?" I ask him curiously. "You're not a Jedi."

"I was once." He replies, startling me. A force wielder who was a Jedi? None of this made any sense at all. "But I left the order."

"Was that because you're a force wielder?" I question. He does not seem startled by how much I know – if anything – he seemed to have expected it.

"I wasn't back then," He informs me, straightening back up and letting the cloth fly out of his hand. "At least, I wasn't trained."

"Why did you leave the order? Surely if you wanted to be trained you should have stayed?"

He gives me a regarding look, sending a message immediatley that I am to drop the subject, before glancing at the window in his room and back again – it is then that I notice the window is ray shielded. The walls of the room aren't made of normal things either, they're made of stronger, more sturdy material that I can tell was put there on purpose – that purpose being to hold a force wielder. The bed looks like one out of a hospital, due to the white sheets, but considerably more comfortable. The entire place looks like one suite, and in my hastiness to get away from him I backed into the bedroom. There is nothing special about anything in this room, just a bed, a dresser, a closet, a window and a 'fresher. That is all there is. I cannot help but feel sorry for him, being a force wielder would mean wanting to be active, and there seemed to be hardly anything to do in the suite.

Unsurprisingly, he changes the subject. "Why did you run in here?"

I am surprised that he does not know, being a force wielder and all, but he can't have been deliberatley sensing who was running towards his room from halfway across the temple, he must have only been able to sense fear and panic. So that was why he was stood at the door. "I was being chased," I reply simply, not seeing how it was fair for me to tell him anything specific when he wouldn't tell me.

"I could tell," Anakin Skywalker returned lazily and almost mockingly. "Why were they chasing you?"

"Why did you leave the order?" I answer his question with a question. To my surprise, his lips twitch as if he were repressing a smile and even he cannot surpress the amusement he is feeling through the force, which I catch curiously.

He watches me for a moment longer and I know for certain that he won't tell me a thing, except he does. "I didn't leave willingly," He began. "I was kidnapped – _taken_ – by some bounty hunters who were going to bring me to a very evil force wielder, who wanted to add my power to his."

My gaze flickers up and down him before returning to his. "So... you're _evil_." I stretch the word, prepared to flee the moment the threat presents itself.

"No," He answered. "I was saved. Now, I answered your question, you answer mine."

I am not happy that he won't tell me many details – except for the part about the bounty hunters – and that he has not forgotten the silent promise I made to answer his question after he answered mine. "I stood up for my friend." I reply simply, no details at all.

"Care to give any details?"

"Do you?" I ask, cocking my head to the side slightly.

He does not speak for a long moment, simply watches me silently. I vow silently that if he tries to read my mind I will not rest until I have read his, or worse, made his his life a living hell. "Fine," He replies, sounding exasperated. "My mentor – who wasn't back then – saved me before I could be taken to the other force wielder. I said I wanted to go back to the temple, but he told me that it was too dangerous and I stayed with him and all of the other force wielders for ten years."

"How did you end up here, then?" I ask, eager to know more about his unfortunate past.

"I asked you a question too," He reminds me. "Answer that first and I might tell you."

"Liar." I accuse quietly, though he obviously heard me. Silence reigns for a few, long moments before I, reluctantly, tell him what he wants to know. "My best friend is Barris Offee, we're in the same class. There are these three bullies – the ones you threw down the corridor – who pick on anyone they see. Today they tried picking on Barris and I stood up for her, but no one was looking out for me, so they chased me out of the room and around the temple until they cornered me and I came in here."

Anakin Skywalker nodded, apparently satisfied with her response.

"Well?" I ask expectantly.

"Well, what?" He returns, mocking confusion.

"You said you'd tell me how you ended up back at the temple after ten years of hiding with – and I'm guessing training with – force wielders."

"I said I _might _tell you." He reminds me, mockingly. "And now that I've thought about it, I don't think I'll be telling you anything else. The council might have sent you to spy on me."

"Spy on you?" I ask, one of my eye marks rising. "You're a _force wielder_, you can sense whether or not I was sent _and I wasn't_."

He regards me silently – _again_ – and the urge to punch him suddenly springs up, which I have no problem with. Punching him might be a good way to get him to answer some of my questions in detail, and not as simple sentences that leave a lot of room for the imagination. "I know," He informs me, which I find insulting since he just accused me of spying on him when he knows full well that I wasn't. "I haven't exactly talked to a child in a long time."

I give him one of my best stares. "Child?" I repeat the word as if its foreign, and to me it is. I absolutley _hate _it when someone calls _me_ a child when I am actually an _adolescent_. "_Child?"_ I can feel my temper starting to waver. Force wielder or not, this guy's butt needs a serious kicking.

"All right, fine." He says before I can start yelling at him. "An adolescent, but it's just easier to say child. You _are_ younger than twelve, aren't you?"

"Well, yes but -"

"Then you _are_ still a child and are _almost_ an adolescent."

The glare I send his way is one of my best which I have reserved for people I have been enemies with for years. I then decide that he really does need a butt kicking and am in prime position to give it to him before the sound of footsteps reaches my ears and my thoughts are turned elsewhere.

"Master Koon." Anakin Skywalker says the name with an emotionless tone, like a formal greeting. "He is here to take you back to your room."

"But... I don't want to leave." The words surprise even myself and he seems taken aback by them. "You're the most interesting person I've ever met! I don't know any other force wielders and I certainly don't know anyone who's eyes change colour due to their emotions."

He looks at me as though I am mad, which does not bother me since I am telling the truth. "You can't be serious," He says. "No one wants to stay around a force wielder. Any Jedi who walks in here is either here to keep me company because I knew them before hand or because they want to try and convince me to tell them where I have been for the past ten years."

"You still haven't told me why you have to stay here," I remind him just as the footsteps begin to sound louder, showing that Master Plo is very close now. "If you used to be a Jedi, why don't they just let you go? That's the Jedi way, not to bear grudges or to hold people against their will when they haven't done anything wrong."

He chuckled slightly and shook his head. "You have a _lot_ to learn about your council, Ahsoka. The main fact being the anyone or anything more powerful than them has as good as signed its own death certificate in their understanding."

"But that's not the Jedi way." I remember, frowning at the thought that the Jedi council are afraid of power when Jedi are supposed to be fearless. "Why would they -"

I am cut off by the sound of the door opening just as I stand back up, not wanting to seem less important than Anakin Skywalker when I am asking him a question that I find very important. Master Plo walks in and glances from Anakin to me and back again, as though something went on that he is not sure he wanted to.

"Skywalker," He greets in a tone that I immediatley recognise as cautiousness. It couldn't be true... could it?

"Master Koon." Anakin Skywalker returns in a formal tone, the same he had used when telling me who it was that was coming towards them.

Master Plo looks at me. "I am taking you back to your room now, Ahsoka. Come with me." All the while he is glancing from Anakin to me and back again with his cautiousness flowing through the force like a fast flowing river. I don't like it one bit. The thought that what Anakin Skywalker had said was true was a scary one, especially for me. My midi-chlorine count was second only to Master Yoda's, and that is only by ten or so. Would the same happen to me? Would I end up locked in a suite with nothing to do, like Anakin Skywalker?

As I begin to walk forwards and follow Master Plo, who doesn't even watch me and is instead looking at Anakin as though if he stops looking at him it will cause something awful to happen. I pause and turn around, wanting to at least show Master Plo that Anakin Skywalker is not that much of a threat... at least, not if you're his enemy or trying to beat someone up who is innocent.

"Thanks for healing me." I say, sensing a great amount of shock from Master Plo at the statement.

"Any time." He replies, his eyes now on me instead of on Master Plo. They have reverted back to that kind, blue colour instead of the brown that they were becoming whilst he was acting so _formal_ with Master Plo. His voice isn't formal either, it's warm and caring. Either Master Plo has never heard him speak like that or he just plain doesn't like how nice he seems to be because the second I turn around and start walking back out of the room, he looks at me as though I'm foreign too – something that should never have been found.

This makes me nervous. Master Plo and I are very close but right now he seems as though he has never met me before, and does not want to. What was so wrong with talking to Anakin Skywalker? I do not even bother to spare him another glance and just walk out of the room with him right behind me, his force senses primed for danger for some reason, and the moment the door closes his hand is firm on my shoulder and he spins me around to face him. At that moment my natural reflex is to prepare for danger, and that's exactly what I do – Master Plo is treating me like I'm a good for nothing servant girl.

"What were you thinking, going in there?" He demands, his voice stern and scolding.

"It's not as if I had a choice," I defended. "It was either that or get beaten up. What's wrong with seeing him anyway? He isn't a criminal, he saved Master Windu's life."

"You do not understand," Master Plo said, shaking his head. "Do not talk about things you do not understand."

"All I understand is that he saved Master Windu's life and you imprisoned him." I retort coldly. "That isn't the Jedi way, so _why_ is _he_ a _prisoner_?"

In that second, I think he's going to hit me. There's this blazing look in his eyes that tells me I have touched a very, very bad subject which the council have obviously been discussing for quite some time. His entire posture goes rigid and his hand is suddenly cold and unwelcome on my shoulder, so I shake it off. He stares at me as if I'm mad and that I've lost my mind.

"You do not understand the power that force wielders possess," He tries to change the subject and not answer my question, to _scold_ me. "They are dangerous and -"

"Just because they're more powerful than the Jedi council doesn't mean you have to keep them locked up like some kind of animal!" I do not bother to realise that even with the short time I have spent with Anakin Skywalker, I seem to know in my heart that he is a good person. "It's like having a slave, and just keeping him locked up even though he's done nothing wrong! In fact, he did something right! He saved Master Windu's life! You're ungrateful and spineless, you're no better than the sith!"

With that, I turn and bolt as fast as I possibly can. Sprinting through corridors as though my life depends on it, and it most probably does. Master Plo may have only had a millisecond to react, but I could sense how he lost his temper before he had the chance to react, and that amount of anger I sensed inside of him was way more scary than Anakin Skywalker, who did not seem scary to me anymore, just misunderstood. I ran through the corridors until I reached me room and when I got inside I flopped down on my bed and closed my eyes tightly, curling up into a ball and trying to block everything out.

How had this happened? I'm in the same room as Anakin Skywalker and suddenly I'm believing everything he says! Well, it was Master Plo's reaction that forced me to make up my mind. I had not been expecting my friend, the Jedi master who found me, to give me _that_ kind of reaction just because I was in the same room as a force wielder. Didn't the fact that I was nearly beaten up mean a thing to him? Were the younglings even punished?

I am furious but this exhausts me. Running half way through the temple is _not_ a good idea, it's more than four miles if you measure the usual half of the temple, but with all the corridors and detours that I took it had to have been nearly triple that. Yawning, I begin to relax into my bed and fall asleep, completely unaware that I am actually being sent to sleep via a force suggestion, curtosy of the Jedi council.


	2. First Visit, Day Two, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**First Visit: Day Two, Ahsoka Tano**_

I wake from my sleep feeling gutted.

Spending time with Anakin Skywalker was... _interesting_ to say the least. He is so strange and peculiar, force wielders can't all be misunderstood... can they? I wonder how Master Plo reacted after my outburst, if I have gotten Anakin Skywalker into trouble I will never forgive myself. Sighing, I realise that I simply cannot come up with a valid reason for the council to keep someone who saved Master Windu's life imprisoned - especially not when that person is a force wielder. Surely, they would want to learn from him and the things that he could do, not keep him locked up like an animal. Force wielders are supposed to be extinct, so finding one - who used to be a Jedi - alive today would be seen as a great opportunity by most... wouldn't it?

When I sit up, I notice for the first time that I am not alone in my room. There is someone here with me, in the shadowed area, in the corner of my room. For a second I think it might be Master Plo and I tense up without thinking, then I frown and realise that the force presence I am sensing is _not_ Master Plo's. I am always jumping to conclusions, and that is what is considered to be my greatest flaw. This force presence is kind and gentle and understanding, meaning that it can only be one person.

"Master Kenobi," I begin, dangling my legs over the side of my bed - I am not yet tall enough to touch the ground. "What are you doing here?"

He does not speak as he steps out from the shadows, it is obvious that he was sent to watch me. "Master Plo suggested that I keep an eye on you," Obi-Wan says. "You stumbled upon something that we did not want you to see."

I eye him cautiously, he couldn't feel the same way about Anakin Skywalker could he? Master Kenobi was the most understanding Jedi master on the council, surely he - of all people - could see that he was not a threat to the order. "Why is he there?" I question. "He saved Master Windu's life, I remember it from a month ago, so why imprison him?"

"I have been asking the council that for weeks now," He admits. "To tell you the truth, Ahsoka, the council have been at a stalemate for the past month. Half of us believe that Anakin should be allowed to go free, it is obvious that he is not a threat, whilst the other half think that the force wielders are a threat and were destroyed for a reason."

I wonder how some of the Jedi masters could possibly feel this way, it is not as if one person could destroy the entire Jedi order, they would need help. "But, I don't understand how anyone could think he is dangerous, he seemed fine to me." I look up from the floor to meet Obi-Wan's gaze. "Do you believe that he's dangerous, Master Kenobi?"

He shakes his head. "Anakin was my padawan," Obi-Wan informs me, which I find interesting. "I know that he would never harm the order. But ten years is a long time for him to be away, and at first I thought that it might be possible he has become a threat, then I went into his room to meet with him. His eyes startled me, as I'm sure they startled you, but his personality has not changed. In the first week he was confused, he saved Master Windu's life and was not allowed to leave, then the members of the council who want him to remain imprisoned tried to break into his mind. That is when he showed his true power. It was not like before, when he saved Master Windu, that was only a snippet of it. By the time we arrived he had thrown them out of his room and vowed never to tell the council anything about his past, not even those of us that he trusted."

"They shouldn't have tried to do that," I say. "That's like being racist. Actually, that's exactly what it is. They're judging the force wielders based on what they think is true, that isn't the Jedi way."

Obi-Wan sighs and nods. "I suppose it is," He agrees. "The council know that he told you something about his past, Ahsoka." I am surprised that he changes the subject so quickly. "It may not have been detailed, but he told you far more than he has told anyone else, including me."

I narrow my eyes. If Anakin Skywalker vowed never to tell the council anything about his past, then why should I tell them for him? He'd never speak to me again, probably end up hating me, and then the council would just press him for more information until something bad happened. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lie, using the force to place strong barriers around my mind. "He just said that he had been gone ten years and then was imprisoned."

To my surprise, Obi-Wan smiles at me, apparently amused. "I can see why Anakin likes you," He says. I wonder if he is going to say anything else about him, but then he changes the subject again. "Ahsoka, do you remember the way to his room?"

I think for a moment and am fully prepared to say 'yes', because I memorized it and went over it a thousand times in my mind as I was running back to my room. But then, I realise suddenly, the council would make me swear never to go looking for him again, or something worse - such as spying on him. Matching Obi-Wan's gaze head on, I say, "No, I can't remember." and am surprised to see that my lie has worked.

"All right then," He nods his head. "Just promise me you won't go looking for him."

"I won't go looking for him." _Because I already know where he is_, I say the last part silently. Today is a saturday, and younglings under the age of thirteen get to do what they like on the weekends - I plan on going to find Anakin Skywalker again, for some reason I can't get my mind off of him.

Obi-Wan nods at me. "Good," He says. "Now, onto happier subjects." I cannot believe how gullible he is, or maybe it's just because he trusts me. Master Kenobi has always been one to give people chances, and since I'm on my first, I have nothing to worry about. "The three younglings who were chasing you have been removed from your class," He informs me. "It was a reluctant decision but, since they chased you straight into Anakin's room, they have been expelled."

"Expelled?" I repeat the word. "Wait, is this because the council doesn't want anyone to know about Anakin?"

Sadly, Obi-Wan nods again. "He is an enigma, and has divided the council without even realising it." Sighing, he closes his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. "I have to attend to some business with my battalion, I'll leave you to your own devices for the rest of the day. Goodbye Ahsoka."

"Goodbye, Master Kenobi." I watch him go and hold back the smile that creeps onto my face until the door has closed behind him. The war between the republic and the separatists is an on going thing that started about a year ago; the separatists believe that the republic is corrupt and I can honestly say that I have never believed there was any truth to that statement until now. I'm not going to become a separatist, the sith are backing them for a reason, but my faith in the council is dwindling. But right now, I don't really care about the republic, the separatists or the council; I just want to go and visit Anakin Skywalker.

Getting off of my bed, I walk out of my room and head in the direction that I always go in when I have some free time. Anakin Skywalker's room is in the opposite direction, but there is a corridor the loops back around and leads straight to that area of the temple; I am only taking the long way because I can sense a few members of the council pretending to be in a deep conversation just a few metres behind me, watching to see if I go that way.

I'm no idiot. I know that they're going to be watching me for some time now, at least until they're sure I won't try and go back to see Anakin Skywalker. Thinking, I cannot help but realise that the amount of times I have been chased around the temple mean that I know it better than anyone else. I can make my way through the ventilation shafts without any kind of map and walk through the temple blindfolded. However, the amount of times that I have been praised for my ability to find my way no matter where I am mean that finding my way back to Anakin Skywalker's room without being followed.

Luckily, I cannot sense anyone following me and I know that they do not know that there is another way to that abandoned part of the temple. All I have to do is get to the corridor that loops back on itself, get into the vents and make my way to the corridor with Anakin Skywalkers room at the end of it without anyone noticing me. The moment I turn into another corridor, I can feel the relief of the Jedi masters through the force.

They really don't know me that well.

No one bothers to spare me a second glance as I walk down the corridor, careful to shield my mind from anyone who might just happen to sense that I am up to something. I find it interesting that they have not realised that I am going somewhere specific; they all think that I am going to where I usually do to spend my free time, a small spot near the entrance to the temple where I can see the whole of Coruscant. It is above the ground so no one can disturb me and partially hidden so that only people who know where I go can speak with me; it is a great way to get rid of some problems that I receive in training.

When I reach the corridor that loops back on itself, I am unsurprised to find that no one is about. However, I am not gullible or fooled by appearances and reach out through the force to sense whether or not anyone is nearby. I find that there really is no one about and am quick to remove the cover to the vent so that I can climb in and secure it behind me. Many of the covers to ventilation shafts in the temple are secured tightly, but if there are any vents that branch out to large areas then you can count on the fact that a youngling has loosened it before you.

Straightening in the vent - since the ventilation shafts in the temple are much bigger than any in other buildings - I begin to walk in the direction of Anakin Skywalker's room. It is a long walk, but I do not mind. At least this time I won't be completely out of breath when I see him next, unlike last time when I couldn't stop gasping for breath from the amount of sprinting I had done.

As I reach the next vent cover, which is loose as well, I quickly sense around for anyone who might be nearby, and - thankfully - I find that there are no Jedi, droids or anything else patrolling the corridors. Quietly, I remove the vent cover and climb out before securing it in place once more. I make my way down the corridor and I can already see Anakin Skywalker's door at the end; it is rather easy to find now, I can never seem to forget a place and in many cases its a good thing.

I stop outside of his door and decide that it would be a bad idea to just barge in, like I did last time, and decide to knock first. I wait for a few seconds after knocking, wondering if he will answer, and I hear him say "Come in!" from inside. Palming the door open, I can see that he is stood there looking much the same as he did yesterday - only slightly confused. He's probably never had a visitor that knocked on the door before.

"You came back," He states, like its the most puzzling thing in the world. "Why? I would have thought the council would be watching you so that you couldn't, even if you wanted to."

"They don't know me that well," I admit. "It was rather easy to get here. None of them know that theres another way to get here through the ventilation shafts."

Anakin Skywalker arches both eyebrows. "You came through the vents?" He asks. "Just to see me? I told you yesterday that no one likes a force wielder, at least, no Jedi does."

"Well, maybe the council don't like you, but I don't see any reason not to. I mean, you healed me and got rid of those younglings." I say. "Besides, Master Kenobi said that only half of the council doesn't like you, the other half - including him - think you should go free."

He frowns and cocks his head a little. "Really?" questions Anakin. "I thought they all hated me, I didn't know they were at a stalemate." He focuses his attention back on me. "So, you really don't mind that I'm a force wielder?"

I shake me head. "No," I reply. "I find it rather fascinating actually."

Sighing, he looks at the floor as if pondering something. I wonder what could possibly be going on inside of his head when he says something that I did not expect. "Come in, if you want to stay that is."

I stand there for a moment, startled, before regaining my wits and walking inside - allowing the door to close behind me. As I suspected before, there is nothing of great interest in the entrance, or in his bedroom. If there is anything around, it will most likely be in another room.

"Is there something in particular you want?" He asks, as though I am only there for a specific reason.

"Well, not something particular, but I was wondering what a force wielder does. What are they for?" I say.

He frowns, thinking about the question. "Well, we're not really _for_ anything. We keep certain things the way they are and help other things to change. A force wielder doesn't really _do_ anything unless they want to."

"So, you saved Master Windu because you _wanted_ to?" I question.

"Well, yes I did, and I didn't really have a choice. I'm not a force wielder of the dark side, so I couldn't very well let him die, but I did want to save him. He is a Jedi, just like I used to be." He explains to me. "Besides, I wasn't raised that way. My mentor taught me never to let anyone die just because you didn't know them, or because you didn't like them."

"Is your mentor as powerful as you?" I ask, unable to contain my curiosity.

To my surprise, he chuckles. "What makes you think I'm powerful?"

"Well," I begin, deciding on what things to say. "There's your eyes for starters. They keep changing colours due to your emotions. After that theres the way you threw those younglings down the corridor without even moving, it didn't look as though you were even trying."

"That was not anything powerful," Anakin Skywalker informs me. "Force pushes are quite simple."

I look away deliberately. He may be a force wielder, but I am not very good at using the force to push people or things back. In fact, my force pushes are pretty pathetic. It just makes people stumble and then I end up getting humiliated by them as they use the force to push me back instead, but instead of having weak force pushes, they have better ones. I may be eleven and not expected to be able to do many things yet, but it is still disheartening to know that some people can do it whilst I can't. I do not realise that he has sensed my discomfort on the subject, or that he has taken a few steps forwards to stand directly in front of me.

"What's wrong?" He asks, his voice soothing and - somehow - making me feel safer than I have in a long time.

Sighing, I look up into his gaze again. His eyes are that serene blue colour again, which I suppose they must become whenever he's either concerned or comforting. "It's just..." I wonder whether or not to continue. "I'm not very good at force pushes, that's all. But I hope I'll get better at them, Master Yoda says that I need more practise and have to focus on blocking out all of my emotions, that's all."

Anakin frowns and shakes his head. "That's one of the hardest ways to learn how to do it," He says. "No wonder you're having trouble."

"How is it one of the hardest ways?" I ask. "I thought that you had to focus solely on the task at hand?"

Snorting, he rolls his eyes. "Did I look like I was focused solely on the task at hand?"

"Well... no, but you _are _a force wielder."

"That only means I can do other things too," He dismisses the comment. "I'll show you how to do it. Practise on me."

I frown, uneasy about showing him how _pathetic_ my force pushes are. "I'm not that good..."

"Come on, it'll be fine. Just show me what you can do so far and I'll tell you how to improve it." Anakin reassures me, taking a few steps back. I hesitate, not sure if I should. "Trust me, Ahsoka. Just use the force and try to push me backwards, like you do in your lessons."

Swallowing, I resign myself to the embarrassment and use the force to try and push him back. He stumbles back, one side going backwards slightly as though he's been shoved unexpectedly. I stand back up straight as he goes back to his original position, standing in line with the open door to his bedroom. My attempts at a force push are terrible compared to what he can do, I expected him to smirk or make fun of me, not to give me a reassuring smile as though what I had just done was not pathetic.

"You've got the general feel of it, you just can't grasp it." He says. "This time, think of something that makes you happy, like a happy memory, or a powerful memory. The Jedi don't go for this approach, but if you just keep the guard around your mind then they won't have a clue. Now, try your force push again but this time think of something that makes you happy."

At first I think he's lost his mind. How am I supposed to use the force to push him and keep a guard around my mind at the same time? It doesn't seem possible. But then I remember that he is a _force wielder_ and likely has more experience with it than I do, so I decide that his approach is worth a try. Taking a deep breath, I think of a happy memory, or something that makes me happy. I come up with the memory of when I first met Barris and focus on it before using the force to push him. He stumbles backwards again, this time further than before, and he has to grasp the door to his bedroom for support. It still wasn't a force push, but it was more powerful. Sadly, I fail to see the good side to this. It still wasn't a force push.

"Maybe you should try thinking of something that makes you happy instead of a memory," He suggests. "Jedi aren't known for their happy memories. Think of someone you know, like your friend Barris."

Taking his advice, I think about Barris. Just by thinking about her I can remember all of the memories that I have of her, which makes me feel a little strange. I feel light headed and oddly light on my feet, as though I could run a marathon. When I get ready to push him, I have hardly lifted my hands and he flies backwards to land on his bed, bouncing up a few times from the springs of the mattress. Gawping, I straighten and look from my hands to him in awe. It worked. It actually _worked_. Just by thinking of Barris, I was able to do something I had never thought I could do.

Anakin was right. That _was_ a better way to learn to force push.

"Okay," His voice sounded whilst he was still staring at the ceiling from his sprawled position on the bed. "That was a happy thought. A very, very happy thought."

I smile sheepishly. "Sorry," I say, knowing that it must have been some discomfort to be thrown through the air like that by an eleven year old. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Anakin says, sitting up and getting off of the bed. "I just wasn't expecting you to learn it so quickly." Stretching, he walks out of his bedroom and back towards me. I know first hand how uncomfortable the beds in the temple can be when you hit them with a certain amount of force, at times they are soft and comfortable, other times they are hard and uncomfortable - often resulting in a bad back and sleeping on the floor for a better nights sleep as I have done many times before.

"Let's sit down," He says. "Standing around all day is worse than hitting any of the temple beds hard enough to made them turn as solid as rock."

We both sit down on the plain couch that is in what appears to be something of a lounge area. There's a HoloScreen to watch the HoloNet, so I guess he does have something to do, a case of HoloNovels and HoloVids beside it and a table that has some rather peculiar ingredients on it, though I am certain that I have seen them before. Some are like the grass in this large area that we practise free for all and capture the HoloFlag in, the others look like something I know I've seen also. They've been placed away from each other and I'm guessing there's a reason for it, so it would be a bad idea to go snooping around over there if he walks out of the room.

"So," I begin, unsure of what to say at first. "What do you do here? There doesn't look like theres much around that involves being active, force wielders do practise a lot, don't they?"

Smiling, he replies, "Yes, we do. But you don't need something to practise on to practise, it depends on what you want to do."

"But, what _can_ force wielders do, because you can't do absolutley anything... it's impossible, isn't it?"

He chuckles again. "No, but we can do close to anything." Anakin says. "We can do whatever we wish through the force if we have been trained to do it, and some things that we stumble upon by accident. Such as, I could create an image out of embers, or make fire in the palm of my hand. Those are some of the things that I don't need something to practise on to do."

"Make images out of embers?" Ahsoka asked skeptically. "I don't see how you can do that, you must be exagerating."

Anakin archs an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" He asks cockily.

I cock my head to the side, daring him to prove it. Surely he cannot be serious, embers are just embers and things that can start a fire up again, making them into an image is impossible - not to mention the fact that they disappear quickly. I have very strong ideas about things that can and can't be done, and making an image out of embers is on my list of impossible things.

Without warning, he holds his hand out in front of him with the palm open and clicks his fingers - a flame springs to life in the palm of his hand that makes me jump about ten feet in the air. My jaw drops as I stare at the fire that should not even exist as it sits harmlessly in the palm of his hand. He is not even being burned by the fire and he created it just by clicking his fingers... how in the universe did he do that?!

"Wha... how...?" I gawp at the fire in his hand and am shocked that he wasn't exagerating about anything. Pulling myself together, I close my mouth which has been hanging open as if on hinges. "How did you do that?"

Anakin grins at me. "Suddenly I'm not exagerating anymore, am I?" He asks in that same cocky voice as before.

"But... I... how...?" I shake my head slowly, this should not be possible, it _can't_ be possible - and yet it is. There are embers floating out of the flames, and the crackling noises that resemble those of a normal fire... which means it is burning on something. "How is it still alight? I mean, fires need fuel to burn on... don't they?"

"Yes, they do." Anakin agreed. "It's being fueled by the times that I felt a strong emotion, that is how you start a fire with the force. You think of a time when you have felt a strong emotion and then the fire starts and feeds off of that memory until you want it to go out."

I frown and look at my hand. If that really was the way to do it... then maybe it wouldn't be so hard for me to do it too. He is far too busy shaping the image of a speeder out of the embers in his hand - which I force myself to look away from - to notice the way I focus on a time when I felt a strong emotion. Doing something completely un-Jedi-like, I think of a time when I was annoyed, _really_ annoyed. This is when he _does_ notice me and he clenches his hand into a fist - squashing his fire - and opens his mouth to speak when I click my fingers and fire appears in the palm of my hand. It is not as big as Anakin's was, and it is hard to maintain, but it is still there.

His hand goes over the flame and the moment his hand is on mine the flame is gone, a small amount of smoke rising from where it disappeared. Anakin is looking at me with a slight frown and wide eyes, as though he is both surprised and confused at the same time. I glance at the window and see that it is getting slightly dark. Being winter on Coruscant, the sun sets quickly, but this also means that if anyone is checking up on me - which a Jedi master no doubt _will_ - then they would be doing it soon.

"You should not have been able to do that," Anakin comments, his gaze boring into mine like he is more shocked than he has been in his life.

I do not give him time to speak again when I stand up and make for the door, I need to get back to my room before anyone can find out that I am nowhere to be found. "I have to go now, bye." I say hastily. I am almost at the door when a hand closes around my upper arm and I am brought to a quick stop. Frowning, I turn around to see that it is Anakin, his eyes now a dark green.

"Where are you going?" He asks.

"Back to my room," I reply, jerking me arm forwards slightly to indicate that he should let go. "The council will probably send someone to check up on me and if I'm not there then they'll know I came back."

Anakin remains silent for a moment, his face completely devoid of emotion. "Okay," He says, slowly letting go of my arm. "But you have to come back. All right?"

"All right." I agree, not at all bothered by his request since I was planning to return anyway. "Goodbye." I turn around and walk out of the door. Anakin watches me go with confusion and surprise rolling off of him in waves, though I pay it no attention. He's just over reacting because I managed to create fire with hardly any teaching, big deal. Taking off the cover to the vent and climbing in, I realise something.

I can create _fire_ in the palm of my hand. It may not be as big as Anakin's, or that bright or hot, but it is still fire. There is a major free for all game coming up in three weeks time and every youngling in my class has someone teaching them about how to win, but I don't have a mentor yet. I certainly have an edge over the other younglings now, being able to create fire, but I know that if I do create fire in the palm of my hand that the game will be ended and I will be taken away and asked where I learned how to do it, which will get me into a lot of trouble.

Dashing through the vents to be able to make it back to my room quickly, I climb out of the vent, secure the cover back in place and walk to my room as though it is the most casual thing in the world. The Jedi padawans and knights that usually walk the corridors pay me no attention and I find it more than easy to walk to my room, get inside and sit down on my bed. I am tempted to create fire again, but I do not get the chance since at that moment my door opens and Master Fisto walks in.

He has been sent to check up on me.

I must have gotten back to my room just in time.

"Ah, young Tano, you are still here." He greets, walking down the few steps at the base of the door.

"I got a little tired," I say, which is true because I just ran through a very large and very long vent. The fact that it hasn't shown in my face or my breathing is extraordinary.

He nods. "I came to ask what you think about Anakin Skywalker."

Why am I not surprised? Carefully, I pick my words so as not to give away that I had gone against the councils wishes and gone back to see him. "He's kind," I begin. "And nice to be around. He healed me when I was hurt and stopped those younglings from beating me up even though he had no idea who I was, so I can't see any reason for him to be imprisoned here."

Master Fisto smiled. "Neither can I." He agreed. "Well, I will leave you to rest. Goodnight young one."

"Goodnight Master Fisto."

The moment the Jedi master leaves the room, I lay back on my bed and close my eyes. I may not have noticed it before, but doing force pushes and creating fire has really tired me out. It is unsurprising that the moment I close my eyes I begin to drift off to sleep, it is only the sound of my door opening again that surprises me. By now, I do not have time to be surprised and am soon asleep without a care in the world.


	3. Second Visit, Day Three, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Second Visit, Day Three, Ahsoka Tano**_

The feeling of floating is a good one; the feeling of falling is a bad one.

I'm not sure what it was that woke me up, but I can place money on the fact that it was because someone entered my room. Scratch that, _three_ someone's entered my room. Naturally, it was my instinct to wake up but I decide that keeping my eyes closed would be a good idea; the voices do not sound happy, they are in a heated argument about something. Only when they stop do I realise that they have sensed that I am awake, a downside of trying to eavesdrop.

"We know you are awake, little one." A familiar voice says in an almost scolding matter. I can't be sure until I open my eyes, but it sounds a lot like Master Windu.

Opening my eyes, I realise that my head is turned towards the wall so that I cannot see whoever it is that has walked into my room unannounced. I have a few ideas as to who one of them might be, but I am simply too tired to sense who else is in the room with me. Still I have no idea why they need to check up on me so many times, its not as though I'm going to get caught when going to see Anakin; they really have no idea. Sitting up, I turn to see that there are _four_ Jedi masters in the room, not three.

Master Windu, as I first thought, Master Ti - which surprises me because I could have sworn she was on Kamino - Master Yoda and Master Plo, whom I do not exactly feel safe around any more. I am uncertain at first - I'm still only half awake - but it looks as though they have been divided onto two sides, there is a very obvious space between where Master Ti and Master Yoda stand and where Master Windu and Master Plo stand. Surely, Master Windu would not be against Anakin Skywalker... would he?

"Not to be rude, or anything, but... why are you all in here?" I ask, it is probably the smartest way to phrase a question when four respected Jedi masters are in your room.

"We are here because of who you met two days ago," Master Windu said. "And what he might have told you."

I frown, completely confused. "Told me about what?"

"About his past."

Ah; _now_ I understand. But why should I tell them anything? It would only prolong their argument and make things worse for Anakin. "He didn't tell me anything about his past," I lie. "Just that he used to be a Jedi and disappeared for ten years, then he got imprisoned here."

I have never seen someone give a better warning look than Master Windu, and the same holds true now because this stare that he is giving me would make most younglings confess to anything, but not this youngling. Matching the stare with a blank one of my own, it is silent for quite some time and whilst I keep the blank stare on my face I place solid barriers around my mind in case he tries anything. If they had any wonders about how patient I can be they must be gone now because I have never sat stiller in my life, not even in Master Yoda's lessons on meditation.

There is silence for at least twenty minutes and in that time I must have felt each of them brushing against my mind about four times, but they recoiled when I pushed them out violently. After they see that I am not about to be persuaded into telling them a thing that I know, if they still believe that I do know something, Master Windu sighs and looks away - meaning that I have been more patient than him, odd.

"Why will you not tell us?" He asks.

"Because you imprisoned someone who saved your life," I return smartly.

That might have been the wrong thing to say because he looked as though he was going to hit me, really hit me. It was worse than with Master Plo shortly after the first time I had seen Anakin Skywalker, and I wouldn't even be saying all of these things if they would just give me a decent explanation as to why he is imprisoned – I might learn to live with it, eventually. Reflectively, I shift back on the bed – Master Windu is starting to frighten me now.

I must have given Master Ti a clear indicator about that because the next moment she has moved closer to me and in the path of Master Windu, whom she turns to face.

"I think, perhaps, we should leave young Tano alone for now. She has made it quite clear that she is not going to tell us anything, if she does know anything." She says, making me feel like Christmas has come early.

I'm off the hook.

_I'm off the hook._

"Of course," Master Plo agrees much to my surprise. "Let us be on our way."

They all turn around at the same time, which makes me positive that this was planned, and depart my room. I do not breath a sigh of relief for several reasons. One; I can still sense and hear them standing just outside of me door. Two; they will not get off my back for a week at least, wanting to make sure I keep my promise – which I have already broke. Three; I have no idea how I am going to make it to Anakin's room with them standing right outside my door.

Sighing, I turn to look at the chrono on the table just across the room and gape at it. It's _six o'clock in the morning_. Why on earth would they decide to come into my room at six o'clock? Don't they know how tiring making fire with the force is? Groaning, I rub my temples. Of course they don't, no one but Anakin has any idea that I have done it; speaking of which, what did he mean by saying that I shouldn't have been able to do that? It was rather easy in my mind. You think of time when you have felt a strong emotion and click your fingers, what's so hard about that? And then he started acting really strangely and said that I had to come back today; I reason that it must just be him over reacting to how quickly I can learn things, it is rather surprising to most people.

Laying back down on my bed, I have had quite enough of being woken up early in the morning, a loud sound comes from outside. It sounds like a speeder, I've heard many of them pass my window, but more powerful; what speeder sounds like that? It does not take me long to realise that my tired mind is playing tricks on me and that the noise outside did not come from a speeder, it came from a ship. Of course; the younglings on their way to Ilum, I'd forgotten. Well, I only have to wait until the competitions next month – which isn't that far away now – and then I can go and make my lightsaber.

With all of the noise outside it is obvious that I am never going to get back to sleep, so I do the natural thing.

I get out of bed.

Rather stiffly – might I add, I stand up and stretch my arms out above my head like I do every morning. This time I hear a lot more cracks and pops, which means I must have been sleeping in a pretty uncomfortable position – though did not feel it. The four force presences outside of my door are still there, but I can tell from their voices that they have moved further away; if I want to get back to Anakin's room then they will have to be at least a few corridors away.

So... what can I do?

A grin spreads over my face. What does any person do when they learn how to do something that no one else can do? I click my fingers whilst focusing on a time when I have felt a strong emotion and the fire springs to life again. It must be affected by how tired I am because it is very small, only a few centimetres wide on each side I would guess. Checking to see that no one is coming back inside, I sit down on my bed and watch the small flames as they flicker and dance around in the palm of my hand. Fires aren't always this small... are they?

I mentally slap myself. Of course they are; fires start out small as any normal thing does and it just needs time to grow, that's all. I do not know how long I have sat on my bed, just watching the fire that plays in my hand yet does not burn me. After a few minutes it has grown bigger, to fill up the whole of my palm but not with huge flames – the flames are still small but I do not really care about the size any more, just the ability to conjure fire out of thin air is a privilege. It's a good thing that I can, too, because early mornings at the Jedi temple are colder than Hoth – except without the fun of snow.

Thoughtfully, I reach out through the force to see if I have been left alone - I have. They are all heading in the opposite direction of both my room and Anakin's, meaning that getting to him will be only too easy. This early in the morning the only people who are awake are the Jedi council members that aren't out fighting against the separatists - if Master Windu and Master Yoda are here at the same time then it means that there will be a council meeting soon, and I have the sinking feeling that _I_ am going to be the topic of a few conversations.

I shake my head, desperate to push all thoughts of the council aside, and get to my feet. Staying in a room on my own with only the confusing thoughts of the council and Anakin Skywalker for company is a good way to make myself go insane - I made a promise and I intend to keep it. Without taking anything with me - why would I need to why I'm going to be with a force wielder? - I walk to the door and sense around outside once more. Getting caught snooping around the temple after talking about a force wielder that I am not supposed to know about is a very bad idea. Without bothering to think about the consequences - I never have been one for rules - I walk out of my room and head straight for the corridor where the ventilation shafts that I used yesterday are located.

There is no one around at this time of morning, just a few maintanence droids and astromechs that paid me no attention as I side step them and come to a halt in front of the cover to the vent. It shouldn't be this easy, surely, but it is. No one suspects a thing and I am beginning to think that what Anakin had said to me on two occasions is exactly what the council think, that no one likes a force wielder; the council either believe this and think that I am not going back to see him because I do not understand what a force wielder is and have more pressing things to do or they just don't know me at all, which no one appears to anymore.

Crawling inside - again, unnoticed - I secure the cover back in place and begin the walk through the vent in the direction of Anakin Skywalker's room; he made me promise to go back today, not that I needed encouragement, and I never go back on a promise. I have to stifle a yawn behind my hand since it is very early in the morning still; he might be asleep but I wouldn't know because I've no time to go all the way back to my room if I'm just going to come right back again. It's a four mile walk - if you take the long way - and by the time I reach his room it will be seven o'clock at least.

As I walk I become emersed in my own thoughts and pay no attention to how fast I am going; everything that has happened is far too peculiar for me not to spend most of my time thinking about it. The first thing that springs to my mind is that those old stories that Master Yoda used to tell the younglings about force wielders are true; those stories never seemed to have any real elements, besides from the force, but now I know differently. However, if those stories were true then what other stories could be true? How many times had Master Yoda gone on about how the force had physical ties to the world? Or how the sith would one day be destroyed?

I stop abruptly when I spot the vent cover that I am supposed to exit through out of the corner of my eye. Turning, I quickly slide it out of place before climbing through the - now exposed - space and replacing it exactly where it was before. Anakin's door sits exactly where I remembered it did and I waste no time in walking down the corridor to stand before it. How on earth did the council force Anakin to stay inside of this room for a month? He's a force wielder, surely he could've broken out by now? Then again, since the walls were made of something specific and the window was ray shielded, he might not have been able too.

Knocking, I wait to see if he wakes up as early in the mornings as I do - when I'm woken up by four members of the Jedi council. When the door opens my first thought is _he does_ but then I notice the way that he is standing on the other side of it. He's slouching, his hair is ruffled and he has baggs under his eyes - not to mention the fact that his eyes have turned blue and are staying blue. It is obvious that he does not like the fact he was woken up so early - judging by a look at his chrono it's about ten past seven.

"Ahsoka," He yawns, theres a hint of agitation in his voice. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Smirking, I reply, "It's almost ten past seven."

Anakin rolls his eyes. "It's a rhetorical question."

I shrug my shoulders. "I got woken up at six so waking up at seven isn't that bad," I tell him. "When do you usually wake up?"

"Whenever I want to and whenever my mentor -" He stops mid sentence, even though I am hanging onto every word, and frowns. "Never mind."

Cocking my head at him, I watch Anakin very carefully as he walks across the room and shakes his head slightly. He almost let something slip that he knows he shouldn't have and I _really_ want to know what it is but his reaction shows that I probably shouldn't push the subject. The deep breath he inhales is obviously one to calm himself - though I'm not sure why - and when he turns around his expression is more guarded, just as it was the other times I saw him.

"Why don't you go and sit down in the lounge? I'll be back in a minute." Anakin suggests, taking the few steps necessary to go inside of his bedroom. I watch the door close behind him and frown in my confusion. What was his problem?

I shrug my shoulders again and make for the lounge. It probably has something to do with not wanting to talk about his past - after what Master Kenobi told me about what half of the council tried to do I am unsurprised. Sitting down on the couch that I was sat on yesterday - there appears to be only one couch - I wonder if Anakin will always be this guarded about his past. Surely the council would have learned by now that trying to read a force wielders mind is impossible, so why keep him here?

The objects on the table catch my eye again and I cannot help but wonder what they're for. They are reasonably distanced from one another but not so that they fall off of the table and onto the floor. I have seen every one of them before, since they're plants and rocks, but I still wonder why they are on a table in a force wielders suite.

"Curious about something?" Anakin asks from behind me, obviously wide awake now.

"You could say that," I reply. "Those things on the table... what are they for?"

I look over my shoulder to see that he has arched both eyebrows, in confusion or surprise, and is looking repeatedly from the things on the table and then back to me - maybe I've touched another dodgy subject? After a few seconds his shrugs his shoulders with an expression which plainly says 'why the hell not?' and one that I have used myself many times before.

"The first one - the one at the top of the triangle - is a sedimentary rock which contains a vast amount of smoke." He explains. I arch my eyebrows in surprise - a triangle? That's what it is? "The object in the right hand corner is a leaf found on juniper trees - a juniper leaf, to be specific - and contains a specific kind of acid that rots away the layers of the sedimentary rock - named barkrock. That third item is the juice from a guppa berry, you can just crush those in your hands, and it creates a clear path for the smoke from the centre of the barkrock to pass through."

I frown and slowly piece it all together. "It's... a smoke bomb?" I ask uncertainly.

Anakin nods. "Yes, but not yet. You need to put them all in water first and if you don't do it in a specific order you run the risk of being blown up."

_Blown up._ I look back at the three ingrediants on the table. "That's not good." I comment.

He chuckles. "No, I suppose its not." Anakin agrees with me. "Well, since there's no smoke detector in here and I can get rid of it quite easily, how about I show you?"

That wasn't what I was expecting. A guarded, unwilling personality that he uses whenever he's asked the simplest of questions was what I was expecting, not a suggestion to show me what happens when the three ingrediants are combined in exactly the right way.

"Okay," I accept, curious to see what a smoke bomb looks like. Jedi are not allowed to do things such as set off smoke bombs in the temple and if you do you get the biggest punishment of your life. There are two younglings - twins - in the temple who are two years older than me and they live to cause trouble. I'm good friends with them, so I never get pranked, but when they do decide to prank someone you usually end up feeling sorry for that person - one time they took a huge risk and pranked Master Vos. The rogue Jedi went into an all out battle with the twins and I ended up being dragged into it so when a massive food fight was started we all got the blame, even though I was in training at the time.

Anakin walks towards the table and I stand to follow him. There is a bowl of water in the centre of the triangle that I had missed before - though I cannot see how I did - and I wonder if Anakin had ever planned this as a way to escape. Either he had these items in his pocket when he was imprisoned or someone brought them to him without knowing exactly what they were; Master Kenobi said that he was a good friend of Anakin's before he disappeared so it might have been he who brought these specific things to him.

"What order do you put them in?" I question.

"Barkrock first," He says, using the force to levitate the rock up and into the bowl of water where it began to steam slightly. He didn't move an inch when he used the force.

"Then what?"

"Guppa berry." The berry levitated into the air - once again Anakin did not move - and squeezed itself before dropping down into the water. I know which one comes next but am unprepared for what Anakin says. "Stand back, this part causes a violent reaction."

Frowning, I do as I am told and have to take three steps back to match the one stride that he takes. The juniper leaf is in his hand, though I do not know why.

Without warning, he throws it into the bowl of water and there is a loud _bang_ followed by a spark and a _lot_ of smoke. It flows out of the bowl like it has a purpose and that purpose appears to be to blind because after a few seconds I cannot see a thing and begin to cough - people don't tend to breathe too well in smoke. Just as I begin to consider finding my way out of the room, the smoke disappears and once it clears I can see that Anakin has ignited the substance with the fire from his hands and effectively staunched the effect that it was having. The fire goes out quickly and leaves no trace that there was ever anything in the bowl, which I find quite astonishing.

"Woah," I comment.

Anakin chuckles. "For lack of a better word."

I glare at him for a second before looking out of the window. It is still light, I would hazard a guess at mid day - meaning that my time here has been longer than I first thought. Around this time I would be getting something to eat with Barris, but I'm far too content to stay where I am and don't even feel the slightest bit hungry. Truth be told, I'm supposed to be searching for a mentor to tutor me on how to survive in my class competition in three weeks. The winner and runners up are going to be taken to Ilum to build their lightsabers, and I would prefer to build my saber sooner rather than later.

The point being that I should get going if I want to find a mentor.

"Going somewhere?" Anakin asks as I start to walk towards the door.

"I have to find a mentor for my class competition in three weeks so I should get going to find one." I say, continuing on my way.

"I'll be your mentor." He says unexpectedly, forcing me to stop in my tracks and turn to look at him, the disbelief etched upon my face.

"You will?" I question, stunned.

Anakin nods. "Of course I will," He confirms. "You have that free for all, don't you?"

I narrow my eyes slightly and nod. "Yes, its the first one to retrieve the HoloFlag."

"And you get the next three weeks off to work with your mentor?" Anakin asks, arching an eyebrow to indicate that he already knows the answer.

"Yes." I say, wondering whether his cockieness is the reason he was imprisoned. "But the mentor has to know about the competition and since your imprisoned here I don't see how you could -"

"Just because I'm imprisoned doesn't mean I don't know about your competition." Anakin cuts across me.

I find it highly unlikely that this is true and cross my arms over my chest. "All right, what _do_ you know?"

"Sit down and I'll tell you."


	4. Capture, Dooku's Lair, Darth Sidious

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Capture, Dooku's Lair, Darth Sidious**_

Snarling, I stare down at the pitiful excuse for a force wielder who was crippled so easily by my sith lightning. I was hoping for an almighty immortal being who could do anything I asked of him, a dark follower to forge the galaxy in the way that I devised, but I have not received such a thing. This force wielder is weak and afraid, which causes a smirk to creep onto my face knowing that I can strike fear into the heart of such a being. His capture was only too easy for my apprentice, the best this force wielder can do is send sparks at Darth Tyrannus, but that does not mean he is not powerful. He has potential, and lots of it, so I am not willing to kill him – not that I could; he is immortal. After a few minutes of torture, he has crumbled and is kneeling at my feet. Neutrality was his weakness, but now the dark side has made him strong and I intend to guide him to gain more power but not to torture him again unless necessary – he would be able to best me easily if he sought to.

"Your name." I demand cruelly, my sithly yellow eyes running over his form. He is thin – that is to be expected since he has not eaten for days – but has a tall body, meaning that there is room for improvement. Much improvement.

"Marcus Starkiller," He replies tonelessly. "My lord." He adds, causing me to smile wickedly.

"Henceforth you shall be known as... Starkiller. Nothing more, nothing less." I decide, he has a fitting last name that makes the situation almost ironic. Behind me I can sense Dooku's cautiousness of the force wielder, no matter what environment he is in. He need not be worried, I need him for the final phase of my plan and having a force wielder on my side is something that makes things that much easier. Starkiller's glowing aura has turned black and shadow like, causing pleasure for me. "Rise, my friend." I say, careful not to use the word 'apprentice' just yet.

Standing, he meets my gaze and I cackle at the sight of his amber coloured eyes, even darker than my own. His attire will have to change, grey clothing is not suitable for a servant of the dark side. No, he will need something darker and a cloak to show his power and influence. My lips twist into another wicked smirk; the republic will be crippled by his aid of the separatists and the Jedi won't know what hit them.

It's not as if they have a force wielder to defend them.

"Come, we have much to discuss." I order, turning and walking out of the cell that has held him for many nights. He follows silently, for that I am glad, and does not spare Dooku a glance. Darth Tyrannus, on the other hand, is eyeing him like a thermal detonator, afraid it might go off and destroy him. However, Dooku will not die until the Jedi plague has been eliminated from the galaxy and then Starkiller will kill him; until that time Dooku will serve me well and be remembered for his service once he has gone.

Much to my frustration, I know that I cannot reveal Starkiller to anyone until my plan has been set into formation. Should the Jedi discover him then they will begin to form a plan to destroy him, not that they would succeed; but I would prefer that they do not begin searching for something to kill Starkiller, as my impersonation as chancellor I will be constantly bothered with requests and research details. I lead the way to the arena where several heavy obelisks are situated, obelisks which are vital to the training of a dark force user, or in this case, a dark force wielder. It does not take much use of the force to see what is going on in Darth Tyrannus' mind; he is thinking of ways to increase his training, to prove himself the worthier apprentice and of how to kill Starkiller. Yet if he does kill my greatest weapon, I will kill him in the most torturous way possible.

We reach the arena, or courtyard as I should call it, and turn to Starkiller. "Stand in the centre of the obelisks." I order, but in a tone that I know he will not refuse – not because he is afraid, but because he will feel obliged to. Obediently, Starkiller moves to stand in the centre with his hands clasped behind his back as he turns to look at me. "Lift them." I say. "All of them."

His eyes close and I watch eagerly as the glow around him dims and then intensifies. His brow furrows in concentration and the obelisks begin to shake, violently. Slowly, but precisely, they float into the air and rise to about five metres above the bases which they used to sit on. Starkiller opens his eyes and looks back at me, I can see the concentration still in his eyes even though he is not moving.

"Good," I snarl. "Good."

The obelisks float back down to their bases and I cannot help but frown when Starkiller gives the appearance of having a lot of weight being taken off of his shoulders. I will have to work hard on him, though my disguise as Chancellor Palpatine will demand my attention soon enough. Dooku shifts nervously beside me and I know that he is uncomfortable with the power of Starkiller, my favourite apprentice by far.

* * *

**_Second Visit, Day Three, Ahsoka Tano_**

I cannot believe I agreed to this.

I am standing in the middle of his lounge and trying to understand why I went ahead and accepted his offer to become my mentor. After all, I'm not even supposed to know about him and I'm forbidden to visit him, which is ironic since I'm standing in his suite right now and this is my second visit since the day I met him. He looks fairly amused as I send him a cold glare after one of his snide remarks; strangely, he cannot seem to stop making comments about the Jedi council, whom I do not want to spend a great deal of time thinking about. With all of the things he's saying about them I'm hardly surprised that half of them want to keep him imprisoned, but that might be my mind being influenced by annoyance.

"Okay, before we do anything involving your competition and such, you need to know how to lift things." Anakin says. I cannot help but arch an eye mark and cross my arms over my chest.

"Lift things?" I ask skeptically. "I'm not three, I know how to lift things."

"I meant with the force." He corrects himself.

"That's what I meant too."

Cocking his head to one side, I cannot help but feel slightly amused as he matches my posture and goes stiff. "Don't get snippy, little one." His tone carries the barest hint of a warning, but I can still hear it and roll my eyes.

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" I question.

He unfolds his arms from across his chest. "Lift the sofa." He says as if its the most normal thing in the world and I frown. _The sofa? _It has to weigh a ton at least, its underside is nothing but metal and I know that the only things that weigh less than a kilogram on it are the cushions - despite their comfort. Normally I would not back down from a challenge, but lifting up a sofa using the force that is made of mostly metal is something that Jedi younglings are not expected to do. Not only that, but it is considered to be impossible.

"The sofa?" I repeat it, blinking. "I can't do that, I'm a youngling. Lifting a sofa that heavy is impossible for me."

"Not impossible," Anakin corrects me. "Just unlikely."

"Unlikely?" I arch both eye marks. "More than unlikely."

"How do you know you won't be able to if you don't try?"

"Because all of the Jedi knights and masters say its impossible," I remember from all of the times I have been scolded for trying something that I will not be able to do for years at least. "You need to be a padawan and learning from a master to do something of that size."

He rolls his eyes but does not make a remark about my last comment. "Just try, okay? One try and I will know if you aren't trying your best." He reminds me. It surprises me that his eyes are staying blue and only changing shades due to his emotions and not colours; I wonder if it only happens around people he's trying to intimidate. Hiding a smirk, I realise that his attempts to intimidate me didn't go too well.

Sighing, I nod. "All right, I'll try, but Master Yoda always said that there is only do and do not, there is no try."

"Are you kidding? Of course theres a try! What are you going to call something where you try your best but just can't do it? Not giving it any effort?" Anakin snorts. "I don't think I'll ever understand Jedi." The look I send him is pure menace and he quickly changes the subject. "Moving on, try and lift the sofa and then I'll tell you how to improve."

Rolling my eyes, I mutter "Oh, joy." before closing them and focusing on the task at hand. It is harder than it sounds, believe me. Just finding the object in question through the force is exhausting, there are so many other objects in the suite that the focus I need is more than I am willing to give to much else. My force abilities aren't as powerful as some people may think, just disarming a training droid on the lowest level takes my full attention, and I find it difficult to grasp the sofa in my force grip. Being young, I do not have a particularly powerful force grip and every time I try to lift the sofa it seems to slip from my invisible grasp. I do not know whether it is shaking as I try to lift it or not moving at all, but I do know that I'm not going to be able to keep trying for much longer. Just the attempt is making me drowsy.

Ignoring the little voice in the back of my head which is telling me to stop and recover, I try to lift it one last time and actually manage to grasp it. Slowly and unbelievably shakily, I use the force to lift the sofa a foot or so off of the ground before I lose all of my energy and it lands back on the carpet with a muffled _thud_. It's like my energy has literally been zapped by a rod, it disappeared so quickly. As I open my eyes I can see that Anakin's eyebrows have arched and he is nodding slightly in approval or surprise, I'm not sure which.

"Very nice," He comments. "For a first try. Sit down, I'll get some shurra fruit."

"Shurra fruit?" I ask, sitting down on the sofa that I failed to lift, at least, I failed to lift as high as I would have liked.

"It calms the nerves and helps to return energy," Anakin explains, making for the room that I know is the kitchenette. "Not to mention the fact it tastes great."

Rolling my eyes, I do not notice when he disappears from view, I lean back against the cushions of the sofa and stare at the door to his suite. If anyone, particularly a Jedi master, were to come in and find me here I would be in more trouble than I have ever been in. It's strange that they cannot sense me in here, I suppose that Anakin is able to shield the room whenever he wishes, and that none of them even suspected that I might come back. Maybe they figured I would do it at night when no one would be around to see me; I wonder if that would have been the best idea but it's a little late now, my visits are usually in the day time.

When Anakin reappears I frown at the fruit in his hands that I have never seen before, shurra fruit isn't exactly widely eaten in the Jedi temple. I have never actually seen one before, to my shame, and it actually looks quite nice. What kind of youngling has never seen shurra fruit before? I resist the urge to shake my head, if Anakin saw he would probably make some comment and I would blush, despite my efforts not to. Then again, I doubt he really cares whether or not I have seen a piece of fruit before; he's most likely seen everything in the galaxy, or at least knows about it.

"What?" Anakin asks, frowning and looking from me to the shurra fruit in his hands and back again. "Don't tell me you've never seen one before."

I am glad that it takes a lot for me to blush since it would be a clear give away on the subject, and for the fact that answering back is one of my specialities. "It's been a while," I lie, surprisingly easily. "Shurra fruit looks different when I picture it in my mind." That wasn't a total lie, was it?

"Sure it does," Anakin says with a knowing look and I silently curse the fact that he is a force wielder and extremely force sensitive. "Here." He hands me the shurra fruit and I glance back up at him for a moment before taking a bite. To my surprise, it actually works quite well to restore my energy and to strengthen my connection to the force. Making a mental note to carry shurra fruit wherever I go, I look back up at him. "Thanks," I murmur, my mouth still full but I quickly swallow and take another bite.

"Do you have any ideas about who's going to cause you a problem in your class competition?" Anakin asks me. I think about it as I eat, who are the strongest people in my class? No one thinks that I'm very strong, even though I have a high midi-chlorine count. There's Barris, of course, but she is my best friend and I'll be damned if I'm going to knock my own friend out of the competition.

"Well," I begin, unsure for what is not the first time since I've met Anakin. "I suppose everyone has their strengths. So they're all the strongest in the class, it just depends on what subjects we are learning."

Anakin nods, frowning and rubbing his chin. I decide it's best not to bother him and take another bite out of the shurra fruit. It is only when I look back up that I notice he has a hand held hologram projector in his hand. Frowning, I watch it with curiosity as he activates it and an image of one of my class mates appears. Blinking, I wonder why he has images of someone in my class; I remember that he is a force wielder who can do next to anything and silently scold myself for thinking he actually had these images all along.

"What are his strengths?" Anakin asks. I realise, then, what he is trying to do and swallow the food that is in my mouth to answer. If any of the other younglings have a mentor like him, which I seriously doubt they have, then it probably won't matter what strengths they have. I suppose it doesn't really matter though, a persons mentor can't change everything about them.

"He's the best fighter in our class," I inform him. "But he's as dumb as a post and all you have to do is give him a brain teaser and then you can knock the saber right out of his hands."

Anakin smirks. "Reminds me of someone I know," He comments, obviously far away for that moment. "Anyway, what about her?" He swipes his finger across the image and it changes to show Barris, someone I know I won't be fighting.

"Oh, that's Barris." I say calmly. "I won't fight her, she's my friend."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"All right then," He changes the image again and I cringe slightly. Next is the youngling that is as bad as the three bullies that used to be in my class put together, he just never does anything unless theres an important competition and he has won every single class event so far - apart from the time when I disarmed him and he threw a massive hissy fit and stormed out of the room. I cannot remember a time when I have laughed so hard.

"That's Slimo," I say with disgust.

"I didn't know that Jedi were allowed to say that kind of language." Anakin mocks, arching an eyebrow.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "No, his last name is Slimo. He's the meanest kid in my class, worse than the three who were chasing me put together. He always wins by bullying or breaking the rules and when he doesn't he throws a massive fit and storms out." I inform him gloomily. "There's no way I'm going to beat him, he cheats."

"I beat someone who cheated," Anakin says suddenly. "You just have to be prepared for everything and hope for the best. So, what are your weaknesses? We already know who the toughest kid in your class is."

When someone asks what your weaknesses are your natural reaction is not to tell them, right? I mean, why in the world would a person tell someone their weaknesses, it only makes you easier to be beaten, or worse, killed. Once I overcome my reflex reaction, which is to stay still with my mouth shut, I think for a moment and gloomily realise what they are. "Everything," I say sadly.

Anakin frowns at me. "What do you mean 'everything'?"

"I mean, I'm not very good at anything apart from being light on my feet and I'm sort of good at climbing. Other than that I'm not good at anything." I explain. Anakin regards me and I cannot help but see the resemblance between his look and Master Kenobi's when he thinks I'm saying something stupid, force help him if he calls me an idiot.

"That's..." I don't hold my breath because that would be acting like an idiot - which I am not - and simply wait for his answer. "...untrue."

I frown, confused. He's been a force wielder for, what, his whole life? And that is what he says to me? That's new. "Uh, okay." I say slowly.

"I didn't mean it to sound so pathetic," He amends. "I don't have much experience reassuring people that they're better than they think they are."

I resist the urge to comment that he doesn't know how because no one bothered to fix his huge ego and shrug my shoulders, wanting to move the conversation along. "Right," I give a slight indication that I want to make a comment but don't. "What should I do? I mean, to cover my weaknesses?" I ask, eager to learn something - I'm not particularly picky, I just hate sitting still when I could be doing something else.

"Well... I only know a little about saber combat, since I didn't choose that subject, and -"

"Wait, what do you mean you didn't choose that subject?" I ask, frowning and cocking my head to the side a little.

"Never mind," He says quickly. "Moving on. Your competition is going to be in a woodland area so you should probably know how to set up traps."

"You want me to trap my own class mates?" I ask, confused. "That doesn't sound very Jedi like."

"Who said you were going to trap them?" He asks, arching an eyebrow. "I mean simple things, well they can be really complicated if you want them to be, things that will either make them run for the hills or put them out of the competition. You have to stun them to get them out, do you have any ideas how your going to do that?"

"There are two training sabers hidden around the area," I remember. "And some stuff to the right that you want to go for."

Anakin shakes his head thoroughly. "Don't go for them," He says decisively. "It's a trick to eliminate as many people as possible quickly. When you start you will be stood in a field, I want you to turn around and run straight for the forest behind you. No cutting corners or anything, just turn and run."

"How do you know where we start?"

"Force wielder," He reminds me plainly. "Now, I have a trick that I want to teach you. It's basically a quick fire way of making a thermal detonator." I sit up straighter, unable to help myself, no one has ever taught me how to make a thermal detonator before - or anything close to it - though I doubt that I will be using it in my competition, I don't want to kill anyone.

"Okay," I say eagerly.

"Do you know what a Siffle plant is?" He asks me. I cannot help but snort.

"Well, duh."

"It's roots have traces of gunpowder in them." He says, surprising me.

"They do?"

"Yes, they do. To get it you just have to rub your hands on it and then the gunpowder will be left behind on your hands, believe me, there's a lot of it." Anakin's tone is caution and I pay attention because even I don't want to blow something up by accident. "When you have the gunpowder, keep the roots because you can use them as a fuse, just find something really simple - like a conker shell - put it inside, attach the fuse and you have a bomb. A small bomb but a bomb none-the-less."

"But... I don't want to kill anyone in my class." I remind him.

"Put some leaves together for the shell, that way no one will get hurt, and add some magnesium for a bright light. Then it will blind but not harm, at least not permanently or seriously." He adds.

"So... it will _blind _them, for how long?"

"Depends on how much magnesium you put in."

"And where would I get the magnesium in the first place?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Jump in the river, there's some on the river bed."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm a -"

"Force wielder, I know." I cut him off.

He rolls his eyes but does not comment on what I said. "Do you remember how to make a bomb?"

I frown and look at the ceiling, trying to remember. "I think so," I say slowly. I was much more interested in hearing how to make a flash bomb that wouldn't hurt anybody I know. There was a plant, get the gunpowder from its roots, shell of a conker and the roots used for fuses. Set it all of by lighting the fuse, as with most bombs, I think I've got it.

"Okay, show me. The stuff to do it is on the table."

* * *

Quickly and silently, I make my way back through the vent on my way to my room. My vision is still a little blurry from the flash bomb that I set off by accident after my fifth attempt at making it went perfectly. I hadn't meant to set it off but I wasn't looking and the flame from the match hit the fuse, before I could stop it the flash bomb went off and blinded me and Anakin. I have to work hard to stifle my giggles because it was actually quite funny, especially the swears I heard Anakin saying fluently; he managed never to repeat the same word and I know that my vocabulary in the swearing department has just increased dramatically.

I don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life, or laughed as much as I did a few minutes ago. It took an hour for my vision to return to normal, or as normal as it could before I realised that it is already past dark, and hastily said goodbye before rushing out of the room and into the vent which I am in now. Running down the vent to the next cover where I can get out and sneak back to my room, I hope that Anakin can clear up all of the mess we made making those bombs and flash bombs. Even his force wielder powers couldn't make the blindness go away any quicker, but he was able to see an hour before I could and made a point of not helping me out because he was mad at me - even though I knew he was smiling.

Silently, I take off the cover to the vent and climb out before resecuring it and half walking, half running back to my room. My footsteps are silent because, as I told Anakin, I am light on my feet. When I reach my room and walk inside I freeze at the sight of Master Kenobi sitting on my bed, his arms crossed over his chest. He is giving me a knowing look and I remember the cover story I came up with in case something like this happened; I wonder if I am really that late for bed or not.

"Where have you been?" He asks me, his arms still crossed.

"I lost track of time," I say, knowing that it is not a total lie. "Watching Coruscant go by can be really interesting sometimes."

"And you failed to notice that it was getting dark?" Obi-Wan cocks his head a little.

Thank the force I am one of the best liars in the temple. "You know me, Master Kenobi. I'm never watching what time it is."

Obi-Wan chuckles and pure instinct prevents me from letting out the breath that I'm holding. "You certainly aren't," He agrees, standing. "Well, I came to check on you and see if you were all right. You seem to be fine. Next time try not to stay out past curfew for twenty minutes."

"You're holding something against me because I was gone an extra twenty minutes," I comment quietly, arching both of my eye marks in total surprise.

"Good night, Ahsoka."

"Good night, Master Kenobi."

The moment he leaves my room I sigh and flop onto the bed in relief. That was very, very close. I suppose he must be more worried about where I was because he and the council know that I know about Anakin, but I just have to remember what Anakin told me and then it will all turn out all right. He told me to play it safe for the next three weeks until my competition and then, in a week, when they ask me about a force wielder to fake not knowing what they were on about and then to remember. I just hope that they buy it.

Yawning, I snuggle under the covers - not bothering to change into my sleep wear just yet - and wait until my vision returns to normal completely, by that I mean no dots floating around, before changing, going into the 'fresher and then snuggling back under the covers. I had more fun today than I ever did before and it makes me feel extremely tired, but I'm not complaining. With another yawn I close my eyes and fall asleep, loving the dreamless sleep that I am getting.


	5. Final Class, Day Four, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Final Class, Day Four, Ahsoka Tano**_

I wake up to the buzz of my chrono, the alarm clock setting for week days. With a groan, I reach up and turn it off, seriously considering using the force to crush it to a pulp or something - not that I could. Throwing back the covers and getting out of bed, I wonder whether or not there is a special place in the netherworld of the force for each and every alarm clock in the galaxy. There should be because I don't know anyone who likes being woken up early in the morning; if they do then I'm shocked because it seems so out of place.

After getting dressed and making sure that this is, in fact, the last lesson I have before my classmates and I go our separate ways for three weeks to learn from the mentors that we have chosen, I depart my room and head straight for the room where my class trains. I doubt we will be doing much training today, though, since it is most likely the time when we have a chat with one another and then go our separate ways for three weeks. To be honest, I don't really see the point in not being allowed to talk with each other about our plans for the competition. It's not as if anyone is going to spill their big secrets, least of all me since I have the biggest, especially when there is so much riding on the competition.

It does not take me long to reach the place where my class line up, it never has and probably never will, the corridors are almost deserted apart from younglings and masters that rise early. All I can do is envy the knights and the padawans, they can get up whenever they want if they don't have a mission. I stop dead still when I catch sight of the line of people who are _all_ talking about what happened to the _three bullies _who were chasing me yesterday. When they spot me it's like making a noise in an exam room, _everyone _turns to look at you.

"Ahsoka," Barris greets, coming towards me. At least now I don't have to answer questions without someone by my side. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" I say, smiling.

"But... those three were chasing after you on Friday and we hadn't heard from you since. We thought you might have been expelled along with them." Barris said, concern lacing her voice.

"Why would I be expelled? They were the ones who ran straight into a Jedi's room trying to hit me and got what was coming to them," I explain, the hint of a smile on my face. "It was quite funny, actually. They didn't bother to sense if I was in there with someone."

"So they got caught?" Liam, who is a youngling in my class, asks.

"Yes, they got caught and expelled from the order." I confirm.

"Just for chasing you?"

"Well... they sort of chased me into a room that the council doesn't want anyone to know about," I say slowly, knowing that I shouldn't give too much detail. "But I can't talk about that."

"Why not?" Katooni asks.

"Because it's supposed to be a secret, that's why."

"Can you tell us?" Pedro asks.

"No, I'm not allowed."

"Come on, Ahsoka. You've never been able to keep a secret." Gungi says. I learned a while back how to understand his language, as did everyone else.

"Believe me I can keep this one," I mutter under my breath. "I can't tell you, the council told me not to tell anyone and to forget all about it."

I join the line with Barris, who is giving me one of her thoughtful looks – meaning that she is trying to figure me out – and the door to our classroom opens. We are all in a clan, my classmates and I, but we don't stay in the same room. Well, they do but there wasn't enough room so I got a room all to myself. It isn't big, I'm guessing its the smallest room in the temple that isn't a broom cupboard, but I don't mind so long as I have my privacy. Master Yoda is stood in the doorway, as he always is, and his expression is a happy one. His gaze holds mine for a few seconds before continuing back up the line once more.

"Welcome, younglings. An interesting day ahead, we have." He greets – if you can call that a greeting – and steps to the side to allow us in.

"Good morning, Master Yoda." We all say one by one as we walk through the doorway. I do not bother to look at the grand master this time, only when I greet him do I look at him and look away before his gaze can tell me anything. I doubt he's forgotten my stubbornness of the other day and he'll probably make a point of it during the lesson, if not, later on.

The whole idea of the competition that we are doing is to give us an idea of what it is like to be a padawan learner and to only have one mentor – I doubt I'll be having a master who could teach me more than Anakin has. Besides, having a competition to teach us what it feels like seems a little over the top to me, I don't know how it could be a hard thing to adjust to.

We all sit where we have since we were about three and wait for Master Yoda to begin the lesson, usually with a stern talking to.

"Younglings, an important lesson this is." He begins. "To prepare for your competition in three weeks, it is. In this lesson, do what you wish you may. Be sure that aid you in the future, it will."

I glance at Barris, who returns the glance with a look that is on everyone's face – except mine. To be honest, I find these lessons rather boring now, compared to Anakin, they just seem like yesterday's news. All of my classmates seem to be thoroughly pleased by the idea of being able to do whatever we like, which knowing them will involve sitting around looking at the designs of lightsabers or something, and I do my best to look just like them – except I keep my face somewhere between expressionless and pleased for good measure.

"If observing you I am not, speaking with the council I will be. Good luck, younglings."

I don't see what he is wishing us luck for but nod in appreciation with the rest of my class like I usually would and stand up as he leaves the room. As if on cue, a buzz of excited chatter breaks out. Everyone is deciding on what to do and how to do it when I know full well that in five minutes time we're all going to be sat down either reading, looking at designs or discussing lightsaber techniques. That's one of the reasons why our class is liked the most – trust me, it is – in the temple. No noise except for quiet talking and no doing things we're not supposed to, unless your name is Slimo. He is strangely absent today, which I find interesting.

"Ahsoka, what are we going to do?" Barris asks me, smiling.

I think for a moment. My first idea was to make fire like I had with Anakin, but I can't do that if Barris is with me. Or can I?

"Well... we could read the things on our datapads," I begin, but seeing the bored look on her face I laugh slightly and change the subject. "Or we could, I don't know, make a fire? It's really cold in here." No lie, the room is _freezing_ and it is winter on a city planet in a metal room, how much colder is it than on any other planet? A lot colder.

"What do we use for fuel? Or to start it?" Katooni asks, obviously feeling cold too.

"Uh..." I realise that I have a ton of crap in my pocket that can burn easily. None of it is important, just pieces of scrap paper, the bits for the flash bomb that I made with Anakin yesterday – which I will _not_ be burning – and I know for a fact that Gungi carries wood with him wherever he goes. To start it... I'll just have to make sure their backs are turned and come up with a quick lie. "We could start it with the junk in our pockets, anything that's flammable, and then add some other things when we feel like it."

"Cool," Pedro says. Since when did so many people want to work with me and Barris? "Let's start. I'll get the lights."

"I'll ask Gungi for some wood." Katooni says, rushing off.

"I'll get the blinds." Barris says.

I don't say anything as they all move to do their separate things. The others in my class are all busy in the corner so I crouch down where I am, a metre or so in from of the wall so we can lean against it or sit around the fire, pull out the scrap paper from my pocket and think of a strong memory. Looking up to check that no one is looking, I think hard and a small flame pops to life in the palm of my hand, lighting the paper instantly. I ball my hand into a fist to put out the fire and lean back just as the blinds close and the lights go out. I am just dumping all of the junk that I don't need on it, which is burning nicely, when they all come back.

"Woah," Pedro says, eyes widening. "How'd you do that?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Metal floor, metal object, sparks start fires, you get the idea." I say lazily, trying not to get into a conversation about how I did it. Luckily, they don't press the subject and just sit down around the fire with me. I sit cross legged for more comfort and wonder whether it would be a good idea to practise making a flash bomb again. Master Yoda did say we could do anything and it is not nearly as bad as the fire setting off the smoke detector, which it won't because there is no smoke detector in here.

We start to talk about normal things, life, lessons, the competition – since we haven't been forbidden to talk about it yet – and who are mentors are. I don't answer, saying I have someone already but they're busy right now and leaving it at that. Once the fire has been built up nicely – meaning that it won't need much help from us apart from the occasional bit of wood – the others join us and a few go silent whilst the rest of us talk and laugh and have a good time, as we usually do.

When Master Yoda walks in, to say he is speechless is an understatement. I think he expected us to have caused a riot by now or at least be in some sort of disarray but he obviously didn't expect us all to be sat around a fire in a 'U' shape and to be doing our own things or talking quietly. This must be something completely new to him, especially since the fire was started by younglings who, he thinks, don't have much experience in the area. I am glad that we put a spare piece of sheet metal under the fire because, otherwise, we would have had to clean up everything with our hands and a bucket of water. That is something that no one wants to be seen doing.

I am busy writing out an equation for a smoke bomb – which I spotted on a sheet in Anakin's room the day before as we were making flash bombs – in the ashes of the fire when he comes and sits beside it as we all are. Making our 'U' shape have a dot in front of it, he begins speaking with a youngling who is the oldest in our class. I completely miss the way that they are talking about the fire and am brought back to my senses when my name is said by the youngling. Listening intently, I change a number in my equation before Master Yoda asks me something that I had planned for, thank the force.

"Youngling Tano, start the fire how did you?"

A lot of people look at me, but not Barris, Katooni or Pedro since I already told them, and I am glad for the explanation in my mind.

"I made sparks by scrapping metal on metal and that ignited the scrap paper that I pulled out of my pocket," I explain simply, nudging Pedro away as he leans in to look at the equation I have drawn.

"An interesting way to start a fire that is," He says, though he is smiling so it cannot possibly be that he is scolding me. "Well done, young one."

I smile at him before going back to the equation that I am drawing. For some reason making things and writing out equations and languages that people don't usually know at my age seems to interest me, either that or I just like smoke bombs. The annoying thing is that my silence has attracted Pedro's attention – not to mention Barris' – and even though I nudged him out of the way the first time he still keeps on looking at it.

"Will you quit it?" I ask in a friendly voice.

"What is it?" Pedro asks.

"A map of Naboo," I say sarcastically. "It's an equation."

"For...?"

"Smoke." I say simply, adding an extra part of my own that it seems like a good idea to try out.

"An equation for smoke?" He archs an eyebrow. "Don't you mean a smoke bomb?"

"If that's what you want to call it them yeah, it is."

"Mind if you give me a copy of the equation?" His voice is completely mischievous and if I hadn't known him so long I'd think he was giving it to a friend, but he's not. He's going to use it himself to cause havoc in the temple.

"Nice try," I say. "But the last time I gave you something we _both_ got in trouble."

"It wasn't my fault."

"You booby trapped the hallway in the third tower, explain how that is not your fault."

I've got him there and he goes back to tinkering with his datapad. I'm not sure what he's trying to do with it but I know him well enough to know that it's not something good – in this case he might be trying to get something for the competition, which still isn't good for me. Pedro may be nosy, persistent, chirpy, won't take get out for an answer, never grouchy, mischievous and serious about nothing _but_ he is one of the best saber fighters in the class and if he gets his hands on a training saber I am _doomed_.

I turn back to my equation and frown when I see that it is changing on its own. The letters are swapping places and the numbers are either getting bigger or shrinking, as Master Yoda gets up to leave the room after being called away Barris nudges me.

"What are you doing?" She asks me in all seriousness. The equation stops changing and I look at her with a frown.

"What do you mean?" I question in confusion.

"You were changing the letters with the force, I saw you." Barris says. It is only my ego that prevents me from giving away that I did not do that and that I have a very good idea of who it was.

"They were... in the wrong order." I say truthfully.

Barris pins me with a look, narrowing her eyes. "How did you know how to do that? The letters are in the ashes, I've never heard of someone being able to do that."

"Say what?" Pedro asked, leaning in closer. I groan in annoyance but he does not seem to care. "What happened?"

"Nothing." I say quickly.

"Ahsoka changed the letters around with the force," Barris says right after I finish. I give her one of my outraged looks but she just shakes it off by looking back at Pedro. "In the ashes. Look."

Though I try to cover up the letters, Pedro pushes my hand out the way and his jaw drops. He is probably the only one apart from Barris who saw the letters in detail and he knows that I could not have changed them by wiping them away, that would get rid of the ashes and leave finger marks – except there aren't any. I want to disappear right now; how am I supposed to keep Anakin a secret is he is changing the letters and making people wonder how I did it?

"How did you do that?" He asks in a tone which, if I did not know him, I would think was wonder. He has never said something in a tone like that, selfishness is what he is but not a wonderous boy like he should be. Nothing like that has ever happened to him before, I know.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I lie, drawing something else and then repressing a sound of distress when it shrinks and floats to a letter. Pedro looks at me like I'm the most amazing person in the world and Barris is just looking at me with confusion and curiosity. I deliberately put my head down so that I cannot meet their gaze and when the bell goes – a new feature which I am still getting used to – I am out of the room before either of them can stop me. The reason that I left so quickly? Pedro is the biggest blabber mouth in the temple, he was already telling the rest of my class as I left.

Quickly, I make my way to the mess hall which is specifically for the younglings and yelp in surprise when two people jump on me from behind. My reflex is what keeps me standing and I turn around to see that it is the twins, the biggest trouble makers in the Jedi temple. Kay and Jay. It wasn't the best move to go making friends with them but at least I'm not the victim of their pranks, and they have the worst pranks in the world. They have strange smiles on their faces and I roll my eyes.

"What have you done?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"For once it's not what we've done, it's what _you've _done." They say, their grins widening.

I frown. "What are you on about?"

"The writing in the ashes," Kay says, his grin – if possible – widening even more. "You know we hear about everything first."

I stiffen and let out an exasperated breath. "I don't know what you're on about."

"You obviously do," Jay points out. "Now you can either tell us how or Pedro is going to tell everyone about it."

I snort. "He already has so I don't see the threat in that. I know you're friends and everything so don't this personally. Who would believe what he tells them?"

They both share a look that says what I am dreading and look just beyond me to the door to the mess hall. "We'll talk more about it later, right now let's eat. I'm starved. You coming 'Soka?" Kay asks.

"Don't call me that," I grumble. "Yes, I'll come with you."

I turn and make my way to the mess hall with them on either side of me - they always do that - and I can tell by their shared glances that they are not going to drop this easily. Then again, if anything bad happens they can always make the best of a bad situation, that's why they're such good friends to have. When we open the door and go into the mess hall I choose a table to sit at and wait until they return from getting their meals - without Barris here I suppose these two are the only people closer to me than any of the other younglings, which is a little spooky.

I'm quite glad that it's the evening now, because if it were mid-day then I would have to spend the next half of the day being badgered by Pedro and Barris. Force only knows how happy I'll be when they finally drop the subject. Sighing, I know I can't ignore my rumbling stomach much longer, I take a shurra fruit out of my pocket and debate whether or not to eat it.

"Where'd you get shurra fruit?" Kay asks, his mouth full of food. The twins aren't exactly polite or hygienic or anything else for that matter that doesn't involve humour.

"Oh, uh," I wonder what to say. "My mentor gave it to me." They both pause in their eating and I mentally slap myself.

_Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. _

"You've already been to your mentor," Jay says, amazed. "I didn't know any of them had the time. Who's your mentor?"

I am not going to slip up on this one. "I don't know his name," I lie, it is pathetic.

They both look at me. "Who's your mentor?" Kay repeats what his brother said, shifting in his seat to look at me fully.

"I'm not saying." I say decisively. "You'll badger me if I do."

"We'll badger you if you don't." Jay says.

"Who's your mentor?" Kay repeats, again.

"Drop it," My tone is laced with a threat that even they, with the thickest skulls in the galaxy, can see. They take the hint and go back to their meals, though they continue to share looks and I curse the fact again and again that I let slip that I got shurra fruit from my mentor.

"So..." Kay says slowly. I roll my eyes. "Why did your mentor - whoever that may be - give you shurra fruit?"

It's not as if it will tell them anything about his identity so I can't very well not tell them. Then again, why in the world would they ask about shurra fruit? Isn't it obvious that I was given it because I was hungry, even though I was only a little bit. These two know how to spot a liar like they know how to use the force, its damn near impossible to lie to them. I make a mental note to ask Anakin to tell me how to lie perfectly, I'll need to know how given the fact that these two are going to badger me night and day. "Because it gives you more energy the quickest and replenishes your force abilities, or something like that." I curse myself, I can't remember what Anakin said in detail.

"It does?" They ask in surprise. "I never knew that. Mind if we try some?"

Rolling my eyes, I take two slices and hand one to each of them. For some reason Anakin likes to slice up his shurra fruit and it is very convienient at the moment. I take another bite as they both eat and their eyes widen in total shock after they swallow. Force help me if they ask any more questions, I will be doomed.

"It... it works?" They say, astonished.

"Yeah, that's what I was like when I first tried it." I say, swallowing the food in my mouth. "You won't tell anyone will you? About the shurra fruit thing."

"Why would we tell them about that?" Kay grins mischievously. "That stuff could get us out of loads of scrapes, why does anyone else have to know about it?" They begin to shovel down their food, as they always do, and I finish the shurra fruit easily before they finish their dinner. "So..." Kay wipes his mouth clean. "Wanna help us out with some business in the second tower?"

I smirk and roll my eyes. "No thanks," I deny. "I'm going to bed."

"It's only... what is it?" The look around for a chrono. "Oh, it's only ten o'clock."

"Only?" I roll my eyes and shake my head. "I might help you some other time. See you tomorrow, if you're not in trouble."

"Would we do something like that?" Jay says, hand over his heart.

He is lucky that I have already stood and am on my way out of the mess hall otherwise I might have been tempted to slug him in the gut. On my way out I walk past Pedro, who attempts to stop me but I speed up and am already out of his reach. I make my way to my room silently, not making eye contact with anyone for good reason and when I palm open my door Master Kenobi is sat there _again_ with his arms crossed over his chest. It takes most of my strength not to roll my eyes as I walk in and stand in front of him.

"Master Kenobi, you're back again." I say, frowning and cocking my head. "Have I done something wrong?"

Obi-Wan chuckles and shakes his head. "No, no, you've done nothing wrong. I just wanted to make sure you got back here on time for once."

"I always get here on time," I protest. "Well... mostly." I add due to Obi-Wan's blunt stare.

He chuckles again. "You were certainly cutting it close but you managed to arrive here on time." He confirms standing up. "Good luck in the competition, by the way, I'm sure you chose an excellent mentor."

I smile and nod my head. "Well, I think he's brilliant." I say. Obi-Wan gives me a reassuring smile as he walks out of my room and the door closes behind him.

With an exasperated sigh I practically collapse onto my bed. That was way too much attention for one day and I detest attention. How on earth do people keep secrets as big as these? Well, I suppose not everyone is a Jedi or has to hide it from the entire order, do they? With another sigh - more of tiredness than anything else - I stand up and get changed into my sleep wear. The moment I am safely snuggled under the covers of my bed I close my eyes and try to relax.

I only hope that none of this attention will mean anything.


	6. First Lesson, Day Five, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**First Lesson, Day Five, Ahsoka Tano**_

This time when the chrono woke me up, it took a one way trip out of the window. It wasn't on purpose, I know that for sure since my eyes hadn't even opened, and I quickly hopped out of bed to rush to the window to see it. I look down at its tattered metal remains and bite my lip in nervousness. I am going to be in _so much trouble_. If Master Kenobi walks in right now to ask what the loud smashing sound was then I will be forced to fix it and have to postpone my visit to Anakin. Swearing under my breath, I grab my Jedi tunic and change in the 'fresher before rushing back to the window and staring at the shattered parts of the chrono that are a long way down from my window. The temple is really, really high up and so is my room.

Biting back the urge to swear again, I let out a deep breath and focus. If I don't get those pieces back then I can't go to see Anakin, I know I won't be allowed. It doesn't take a genius to know what will happen if someone walks in and finds me staring out of the window with a look of nervousness on my face. Taking deep breaths, I've never exactly been in a situation like this before, I concentrate on using the force. It's the only way to get it back without going out of the temple, which I am not allowed to do. I'll admit that I was surprised when I was able to find the pieces in the force easily and that I was even more surprised when they floated right back up to my window with hardly any effort on my part.

Blinking, I stare at the pieces floating in the air for a moment before regaining my senses and, with a glance at the door, I quickly grab them and place them on the bedside table in my room where my, now ruined, chrono used to sit. With a frown I kneel down and stare at each of the pieces in turn. None of them are cracked, which is nothing short of a miracle, but I can't decide where any of them are supposed to go. Mouth open slightly in confusion, I squint to get a better view of them to see if that helps me to decide what goes where.

It doesn't help at all.

"Stang," I curse, looking from one piece to the other from my kneeling position, my chin resting on my forearms. What am I supposed to do now?

"Where did you learn that kind of language?" A voice from behind me asks and I almost knock over the table when I jump out of surprise and turn to see Master Kenobi stood there, his arms crossed. His arms seem to be crossed a lot of the time when he is speaking to me.

"Twins," I lie, it's easy enough to accept. "Are you checking up on me already?"

"I thought that it would be a good idea to warn you that all of the younglings are talking about you," He says with a slight smile.

"What?" I ask in disbelief. "Why?"

"Something about you changing letters in the ashes of a fire that you made in class yesterday," Obi-Wan explains. "And about your 'mystery mentor', whoever that is. I'm not interested, don't worry. You have enough people wanting to know."

I smile sheepishly. "Thanks, Master Kenobi." I say before turning back to the remnants of my chrono.

"What is that?" He asks.

"It _used _to be my chrono." I inform him.

"What happened to it?"

Of course, I am a little hesitant to answer but I don't really have a choice. "I may have... accidentally used the force to throw it out the window." I explain, turning slowly to face him.

His eyebrows arch in surprise and he looks from me to the open window and back again. Surprisingly, a smile breaks out on his face and I frown in confusion - he is a respected Jedi master and he's smiling because I flung my chrono out of the window accidentally. If Master Yoda walked in here instead of Master Kenobi then I would be in big trouble, but Obi-Wan looks like he's about to laugh. When anyone ever asks me who I think is the nicest Jedi master, I would usually say Master Plo, but now I think I'll probably be saying Master Kenobi.

"You don't need to worry about that, young one, I have done it a few times myself." He tells me surprisingly.

"You have?" I ask.

"Ahsoka, they're chronos. I can name at least fifty Jedi knights and masters who have done something like this, except they did it on purpose."

"How am I supposed to put it back together, though?" I question.

"There's a book on it in the archives, I'd try there." He turns to leave before speaking over his shoulder. "Oh, and Ahsoka? I'd avoid going anywhere _near _the mess hall for younglings today."

"Really? Why?" I completely forget about what he just said to me earlier.

"Because your name is the only thing you can hear if you walk in there," Obi-Wan explains. "Making letters swap and change themselves... I wonder what they'll think of next."

I smirk. "It will probably have something to do with me," I comment, knowing that it most probably will.

Obi-Wan chuckles. "I hope not, you won't be able to train for your competition in three weeks." Without a proper goodbye - not that I expected it from him - he walks out of the door and it automatically closes behind him.

Groaning, I turn back to face the shattered remnants of my chrono and rest my head in my forearms. I am going to have a harder time keeping Anakin a secret than I thought. Making a last minute decision, I scoop the parts into my pocket and walk out of the door without a second thought. There are a few younglings about and even in their small number I can hear my name being said _ a lot_. Taking Master Kenobi's advice, I move out of sight by walking close to a pair of Jedi knights before taking the usual left turn down the corridor to the cover of the ventilation shaft in the deserted corridor before I stop and turn around quickly. To my relief, there is no one following me and I reach out with the force just to make sure before taking off the cover and climbing inside the vent; once the cover is secured again I let out the breath I'm holding and make my way towards Anakin's room.

I just hope that Master Kenobi was exaggerating when he said that _every youngling _was talking about me and what I supposedly did with the letters I wrote in the ashes, even though it was Anakin. It obviously was. There's no one else in the temple who could have done it, especially not in a way that was obviously meant for me to see and so that nobody else but those around me would see – I doubt that Anakin intended for either Barris or Pedro to see.

Glancing over my shoulder one last time to check that there is no one following me, I stop at the next vent cover and slide it out of place before climbing through and resecuring it. Quickly, I make my way down the corridor and knock on Anakin's door. I wish I hadn't broken my chrono because then I would know what time it is and whether or not I could expect for him to be awake. Obviously he prefers to sleep in because it takes a minute for the door to open and to show Anakin standing there, bags under his eyes.

"We need to decide on a time for you to come here," He says, yawning. "It's, what, quarter part seven?"

"That's not too early," I protest, walking inside and letting the door close behind me. "I have to get up at six o'clock every day, apart from weekends."

Anakin snorts. "Six o'clock? I never had to get up that early. Seven was the earliest I ever got woken up."

"Woken up by who?" I ask, curious.

"Saddi-" He pauses and narrows his eyes. "Nice try."

"Nice try for what?" I question innocently. "I was just curious. Besides, what do names matter?"

He regards me silently and I still cannot see what difference a name is going to make. "Fair enough," Anakin says finally, shrugging. "Saddie and Ed, though it was usually Ed since it was a boys dorm."

"Dormitory?" I cock my head to the side.

"Never mind," He dismisses the subject. "I'll tell you some other time. I'm going to change, have a seat on the sofa."

After he disappears, I walk into the lounge and sit down on the sofa, taking the remains of my chrono out of my pocket. I should have thought of a better way to turn it off instead of sending it out of the window by accident, though it is gratifying to know that the Jedi knights and masters do it too. The second thing I think about – the first being how I'm going to fix my chrono – is that Anakin said that he _would _tell me about the boys dormitory he was on about. At least I can know something about his past now, apart from the vague description he gave me.

I decide to try and fix two parts of my chrono together when he walks back in and frowns at the pieces in my hands. It is obvious that he knows more about fixing things than I do because in a second he has walked over to me and fixed two other pieces together like he's been doing it his entire life.

"Broke your chrono?" He asks and it is obvious he knows the answer already.

"Yes," I reply. "I accidentally used the force to throw it out of the window."

Anakin chuckles. "I used to do that a lot," He comments. "Everyone did it at least once."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"Like I said, I'll tell you some other time." He repeats what he said earlier, causing me to believe that this has something to do with the boys dormitory he mentioned. "Do you know how to fix it?" He asks. If it isn't obvious enough already that I have no idea how to fix _anything _then I doubt it ever will be.

"No idea," I say. "I can't fix anything."

"Really? I can fix anything."

I arch an eye mark. "Boaster," I comment, narrowing my eyes slightly. "Nobody likes a boaster."

"I'm serious," He says. "I was podracing ever since I was four and I built the podracer myself. Chrono's are easy enough to fix."

Rolling my eyes, I mutter, "Yeah, yeah." and only pay attention to him when he turns and walks into a smaller room that I had not noticed before. I reason that he must be hungry or something and turn back to the bits of the chrono sitting in my lap. With the two pieces that Anakin fixed together, I can actually see where some of the other pieces are meant to go. However, before I can do anything, Anakin walks back in and hands me a HoloBook. With a frown, I take it and open it to see what it is about. It is instructions on how to fix things, and the pages for chronos is bookmarked.

"You just happened to have this lying around?" I ask.

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "Obi-Wan brings me things if I need them and they're approved by Master Yoda. How else would I have gotten all the things for bombs and stuff?"

"You're a force wielder, you can do anything you want."

"_Almost _anything." He corrects me.

"Yeah, that," I murmur. "Which parts the 'axil'?" I ask, reading the first set of instructions from the HoloBook.

"The silver rod." Anakin explains, sitting on the sofa beside me.

"Oh, okay." I follow the instructions and start fixing my broken chrono whilst Anakin points out subtle things in an almost lazy way that earn him a glare from me. Without bothering to realise that I am not learning anything that is important for the competition – that is the last thing on my mind – I fix about half of the chrono before I realise that I don't need the instructions any more. It takes me less than a minute to rebuild the other half of the chrono without constantly glancing at the HoloBook and when I am done Anakin nods in what I think is his way of saying he is impressed.

"Only two hours, not bad for a first time." He comments. "I should probably teach you how to fix things with the force."

I frown and turn to look at him. "You mean you could have fixed this easily all along and didn't even bother to tell me," I say, my eyes narrowing.

"It's always good to learn how to do things with your hands," Anakin says, shrugging. "And it would have made you lazy if you just did everything with the force. Personally, I find it's funner to spend time fixing things."

I can't say he's wrong there. It actually was kind of fun to be fixing something without a pesky Jedi master looking over my shoulder and suggesting things every ten seconds. "It is fun to fix things," I say, careful not to point out that he was right even though I know he'll get the message. "Especially when Master Mundi isn't trying to get me to do it the way everyone else is."

Anakin smirks but, surprisingly, does not make a comment about Master Mundi. "So, any ideas on what you want to learn how to fix with the force?"

I frown and ponder the question. What do I want to learn how to fix with the force? There isn't much I would like to fix, but there are a few things. "Well, I suppose I would like to learn how to fix things like ships and speeders. I like hot wiring things too, but I've only ever hot wired a door."

Nodding, Anakin frowns and rubs his chin, an obvious sign that he is thinking. "Okay, I think I know exactly what to teach you."

* * *

Shattered.

There is no other word for it.

For the last ten hours all I have been doing is learning about mechanics. Yes; I said mechanics. Anakin loves it, no doubt about that. My eyes actually _hurt _because of the amount of detail I have had to be looking for in case I want to get myself blown up or set on fire. I'll admit that I like hot wiring and messing about with circuits but the amount of it that I just did was horrendous. On the bright side, if all the power in the temple goes out then I can get it back by meddling with the wires in the wall.

My eyes are shut and I am lying on one of the sofas in the lounge in exhaustion. I would have taken an hour long lecture from Master Yoda about attachments over this any day. Well, that would have certainly been more boring than this but I wouldn't be as exhausted as I am now. When someone asks me what I was doing on the first day with my mentor - second if you count yesterday - then I can just say that I have never learned so much in so little time, or been so thoroughly exhausted for that matter. Barris had better have a good idea of what to do for the remainder of the day because I need a break; so long as neither of us talk about the competition then I think we should be fine. And if I can't talk to Barris, the twins are the next best thing. Any mischievous or rule breaking thing would be good for me.

Anakin chuckles from his seated position on the same sofa that I am laid down on, I don't take up much space. "Tired, Snips?" He asks me and I groan in annoyance. That's his new nickname for me since we had one of those mock arguments and the only thing I did was be really, really snippy. On the other hand, I have a nickname for him too - I just can't ever find the right time to use it.

"Yes," My voice is muffled from the arm across my eyes and face. "Because _you _have an obssession with mechanics. I could hot wire a speeder I've never seen before, thanks to you."

"Your welcome," He says with a smirk; I cannot resist the urge to roll my eyes, it's not as if he can see me doing it. "It's half seven now, don't you have dinner soon?"

"In an hour," I say. "But the mess hall opens at eight. Dinner lasts from eight until eleven because the older younglings come in late."

"Aren't you one of the older younglings?"

"I am, but sometimes I get hungry quickly." I explain, stifling a yawn behind my hand. "Maybe I'll just find the twins and do something with them, once I get my energy back."

"Who are the twins?" Anakin asks.

"Kay and Jay, think of them as the worst trouble makers in the temple. If they're not in trouble for something then they're getting lectured on attachments but you can't blame them, they are twins after all."

"I don't know if its such a good idea to get into trouble," Anakin sounds concerned. "And you're not exactly in a state to go around causing it."

"Yeah, thanks to you." I remind him. "I don't get into trouble as much as they do. It's not that hard to escape when those two are causing the biggest commotions you can imagine."

Anakin sighs and leans back into the cushions of the couch. "You hungry?"

"Always," I reply. "I'm a Togruta who does way more than I'm supposed to."

"So you eat twice the amount of what other people do?"

"Sometimes," I say, shrugging. "Why do you ask?"

"Favourite food?"

"Mashed potatoes, again, why do you ask?"

"I'll be back, don't move." He says, standing.

"Like I could," I grumble as he walks into another room, one that in my tired state I cannot be bothered to think about. If I could fall asleep right now I would do so gladly, except I am not that tired - though force knows someday I will be - and with a sigh I sit up straight. When Master Yoda said that being taught for the competition was hard I did not believe him, when Anakin became my mentor I genuinely thought that it would be easy, but now I know that Master Yoda was telling the truth. However, when Anakin walks back in with what is obviously my favourite food I put the thought aside.

Hard or not, I could get used to having a mentor like Anakin.

* * *

After a very nice and humorous meal, involving me pushing Anakin off the sofa, I say goodnight to him and rush off down the corridor. The vent cover is lose, as always, and once I have climbed inside the vent and secured the cover I set off down it to the next cover and my room, maybe then I can get some sleep. I cannot say that I resent the fact that Anakin spent ten hours teaching me every possible way of hot wiring or building something because it's actually quite fun, what I can resent is the fact that I wasn't allowed to have a break.

I stop suddenly at the sound of voices in one of the adjoining vents to the left hand side of the one I am in. There are only a few people who that could be, if it isn't a Jedi on a mission or someone there who shouldn't be, and I'm not particularly sure if I want to get involved, but I need something to do besides hot wiring stuff. Taking a detour, I walk towards the voices and completely ignore the small voice at the back of my mind that says I'm going to get into huge trouble - that voice just happens to sound exactly like Anakin's for some reason.

Rounding the corner, I stop and smirk at the sight before me. Kay and Jay are crouched over a vent cover doing something with wires - the very thought of wires makes me shiver.

"Busy?" I ask quietly, knowing that they will hear me but the people they are trying to prank won't.

They look up and grin mischievously. "You could say that," Kay replies with equal quietness. "Come here, we could use some help. You wouldn't happen to know how to hot wire a datapad would you?"

I tense ever so slightly, which they do not notice, and sigh. "Yeah, I know how." I say, walking closer to them - my footsteps not making a sound. "Why do you need to hot wire the datapad? What are you using it for?"

"To see what punishments Master Yoda gives if someone fills the room he's in with foam." Jay says.

I freeze in position, just a few steps away from them. They are not that interested and place a piece of string through the vent cover, meaning that they have already started. "What did you just say?" I whisper.

The force gives me a very clear message to scram - the twins don't seem to get it - and I reflectively shield my force presence. It is not until the twins faces turn to that of slight fear and nervousness that I know what has happened; they have been caught.

Kay looks to me. "Run." He mouths.

They both bolt and I turn and run just as the vent cover falls away. Luckily, we have already ran around the corner and are half way down the vent when we hear the footsteps of a Jedi master who is obviously _not _Master Yoda.

"Younglings!" The voice of Master Windu calls out and I seeth silently.

"You idiots, what the hell where you doing?" I ask quiet enough for Master Windu not to hear.

"It seemed like such a good idea at the time," Jay defended.

"Really? What about now?" I ask. An idea occurs to me and I stop still, causing the twins to stop. I crouch nearer to the vent cover and test how tightly fixed in place it is.

"What are you doing? Come on!" Kay urges me, the footsteps growing louder.

"Shut up and help me get this off." I say, taking off the first part of the cover. "It leads to a spot in a deserted corridor."

"How do you know?" Jay asks, frantically glancing back towards the sound of the footsteps.

"My mentor taught me the locations of everything in the temple," I inform them, not having time to scold myself. "Now come on!"

They do not have time to argue and help me to pull off the vent cover, I turn to them in our crouched positions. "Go through, now." I say, making it sound like an order. They both crawl through quickly and I barely have enough time to do the same and resecure the cover before Master Windu's legs come into view. Eyes widening, I move out of view with my back against the wall like the twins. Master Windu has stopped and I think I know exactly why: The twins haven't masked their force presences. You'd think they were still six with how stupid they are.

"Get to the mess hall," I mouth to them.

They both nod and carefully walk down the corridor and towards a corridor that a lot of younglings use on their way to the mess hall. I have no idea whether or not Master Windu is still following us but all my thoughts about him are quickly diverted when my name is spoken in whispers by almost every youngling in sight. When will they let it go? I wasn't even the one who moved the letters, Anakin told me as I was building an engine for a miniature star fighter.

"Well, 'Soka, you'd better have another way of disappearing." Jay mutters to me. "Or you'll wish you never came to this corridor."

"It's your fault, I didn't want to get chased by Master Windu." I retort.

"What were you doing in the vents anyway?" Kay asks.

"The same reason I don't want to be in this corridor," I lie. "There had to be, what, twenty younglings asking me questions."

They smirk and we walk down the corridor to the mess hall. I purposely blank a snooty youngling who thinks he better than everyone else when he asks me about my 'secret mentor' and I come up with a number of words to describe Pedro and his big mouth. None of them are good, believe me.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm starved." Jay says as we head for the counter. "It's almost ten, you're here late again."

I shrug my shoulders. "I had a long day," I say truthfully. "I could use something to eat, though." Purposely leaving out the fact that I have already eaten, quite amusingly in fact, I get my dinner with the twins and sit down at a table in the corner of the room. Since it is so late there are hardly any younglings here, I'll probably end up coming here later in the day to avoid questions, and the amount of people glancing at me is a minimal amount.

"Cheers, 'Soka, we would have been caught if you hadn't known about that vent cover," Kay says, taking a mouthful of his food. I am already halfway through my meal and it surprises me that I am actually eating faster than they are for once. "How did you know about it again?"

"Mentor told me," I say, shrugging and taking another mouthful of my food.

"You gonna tell us who that is yet?" Jay asks.

"Nope," I deny, swallowing. "You'd only use it against me."

"Doubt it," He looks over my head at something by the door. "I don't believe it, Master Windu's here."

I almost choke on my food. "What?"

"By the door," I look out of the corner of my eye. "Act casual."

"If that is at all possible," I murmur.

Of course, the Jedi master can sense who is feeling guilty and is at our table in a heart beat. The twins look up, guilt written in every feature they posses, whilst I continue to eat since none of what happened was my fault.

"Something wrong, Master?" Jay asks. His tone is pure guilt and I roll my eyes.

"Actually I do," Master Windu says, I notice out of the corner of my eye that his arms are crossed over his chest. "Which of you three were in the vents putting foam in Master Yoda's room?"

I look at them both in disbelief. "You put foam in Master Yoda's _room_?" I ask in disbelief. They both give me those looks that tell me I've messed up and I tense, closing my eyes and scolding myself. Has there ever been a bigger give away?

"So, it was you two, was it?" Master Windu asks, he sounds really smug.

"No, Master." They lie in unison and I keep my eyes on my plate and take another mouthful so I don't have to speak.

"I see," He turns to me as I swallow. "Young Tano, who was it?"

I glance at them and put my head down a little lower. "The same one it always is." I say, which means all of us to Master Plo and Master Kenobi, but obviously not to Master Windu.

"Jay, come with me." He says, turning and making his way to the door.

I frown and look up. "Did he just say Jay?" I whisper. "I'd meant for us all to get in trouble."

"You did a great job," Kay says, patting my shoulder before turning to Jay. "Good luck, bro."

"Likewise," Jay says with a smirk, heading after Master Windu.

"So," Kay says as we both finish our meals. "Any shortcuts in the vents you could tell me about?"


	7. Breakfast, Day Six, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Training, Dooku's Lair, Starkiller**_

I slash down madly at the training droid before me, rage fueling all of my actions. The saber provided by my newest friend Darth Sidious is the weapon now in my hand as I continue my relentless assault of this pathetic excuse for a droid. As a part of my training I must learn how to use a lightsaber, not that I will complain. It is a vital part of a sith's skills to learn combat with a saber and the dark side has given me more power than I could have ever imagined. The very thought of the power at my disposal makes me greedy and gives me a deep resentment of those who rejected me as a baby, a child left to wonder the galaxy because of some stupid vision – now look at me. I am friends with the most powerful people in the galaxy and am well on my way to becoming one of them. All thoughts of my previous life vanish like the morning dew and I thrust the saber into the body of the droid; it falls to my feet in a heap, the hole smoking.

"Excellent," Sidious says with a nod. "You will make a fine addition to my forces. Now, produce force lightning." He orders me.

I do not spare it a second thought as I raise my hand to the wall and lightning springs from my palm, causing the air around it to sizzle. The force lightning is blue and gives off an array of power that causes Darth Sidious to smile evilly.

"You have done well," He says – I bow in a sign of respect. "Come. Walk with me."

I comply willingly, my twenty-eight year old body more than relishing in the fact that I am doing something to strain myself. Pain is my power source, but hatred is what gives me strength. After just a day under the constant supervision of my friend I have become more powerful than anyone in the galaxy, apart from Sidious, and am the key to the Jedi's downfall. Once my training is complete I will lead the army that Sidious has promised to the Jedi and destroy them all once and for all. However, to my outrage I have discovered that it is Dooku who will be leading the first attack and that I will simply be there afterwards to pick up the pieces. There is no bigger insult to me, but I wish to retain my friends trust and friendship.

"Starkiller, it has come to my attention that you have grown restless." He informs me; I marvel at how well informed he is. "After a day in training you have become more powerful than I could have dreamed, it is time to demonstrate your skills to the Jedi."

I arch both eyebrows. "But, Sidious, I thought that you wished me to remain a secret so that I could become powerful enough to destroy the Jedi." I say softly, a voice I use around friends though conveys how emerssed in the dark side I am. "Is this not your wish anymore?"

He chuckles. "No, no, my friend, that is still my wish. However, you have grown so powerful in a day that I wish to demonstrate these skills to the Jedi scum and bring the republic to its pitiful knees." He restates. "I trust you are up to the task, my friend?"

"Of course," I agree. "Anything for you, Lord Sidious."

Smiling wickedly, he nods. "Good." Sidious says. "There is a republic base on Alderann, one that no separatist group has yet been able to destroy. It is the most blockaded planet in the republic aside from Coruscant. I want you to take a cloak to mask your identity, go to Alderann and eradicate the republic presence there. Bring Senator Bail Organa back here to Sereno and imprison him in the cell, once your task is complete I will give you more information."

"When do I leave, Sidious?"

"Three days hence," He decides. "I want to ensure that you will not be eliminated by any of the republics forces or the Jedi scum."

I nod. "Of course," I say.

Those Jedi will not know what hit them and I can certainly guarantee that they will panic and soon be destroyed.

_It's not as if they have a force wielder to protect them. _

* * *

**_Breakfast, Day Six, Ahsoka Tano_**

I wake up to the beeping of my chrono once more but this time I manage not to do anything to it. Reaching out, I slam my hand on the button that turns it off and turn over onto my back in my bed. This is one of those days when I am far to comfortable and content to get out of bed right away, something that comes by every few weeks and is rather hard to overcome. With a sigh, I close my eyes and lean my head back into the pillow. The beds in the temple might not be perfect, but after a sleep in them you don't seem to want to get up, then again, what person does want to get up?

Turning to look at my chrono, I groan with the knowledge that it is once again six o'clock and I turn over onto my side so that I can face the door. Anakin said the day before that I was not to arrive at his room any time before eight o'clock and that I had to be there by ten or else - I'm not sure what the last part was supposed to mean exactly but I do know that it involves a sort of punishment. Yawning, I close my eyes again and try to get back to sleep - only to find that I can't since the council brought in these chronos that go off every ten minutes if you aren't out of bed.

With a groan, I use the force to turn off the chrono and get out of bed. I don't really have much of a choice but to get up now, do I? Standing, I sleepily drag my feet as I walk into the 'fresher and change out of my sleepwear. When I return into the main part of my room Master Kenobi is sitting on the bed which I forgot to make but has suspiciously been made.

"Master Kenobi," I say sleepily, still very tired. "You seem to be sat there a lot."

Obi-Wan chuckles. "Yes, I do, don't I?" He replies. "You certainly seemed to fix your chrono first?"

"What?" I ask stupidly before grasping what he's talking about. "Oh, that. I guess I did." I regard him silently for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it that you are always here? In the mornings or when you feel like checking up on me, that is. Did the council ask you to watch me?"

To my confusion, his expression turns deadly serious and I wonder if the council is a touchy subject for him. "Actually, they have." He replies, standing up. "Your force presence has become more powerful almost over night, Ahsoka. Master Yoda is curious about why that is."

I frown. "How can a persons force presence become more powerful?" I ask. "I thought it just stayed as it was and only changed from the time when you were a baby to when you're ten years old."

"That's not exactly how it works," Obi-Wan says but gives no further explanation. His expression softens, to my relief, and he moves slightly to stand near the door. "I just want you to know that the council believes that the time you saw Anakin had a rather profound effect on you and that it is the reason for the increase of power in your force presence."

"They think that one visit can do all that?" I question, tilting my head to the side slightly.

"No, we think that it will take a few visits to do that." Obi-Wan says, his expression turns back to the deadly serious one. "I just wanted to ask if there was something you wanted to tell me?"

I think for a split second. Anakin told me that the council would go beserk if they found out I was visiting him, well, half of the council would. It would create another argument about whether or not I should be allowed to visit and then it would end up with a tough decision for me. "No," I reply. "There's nothing I want to tell you." I deliberately use the word 'want' because then if he ever does find out he cannot say that I lied.

He nods. "I see," He does not sound at all convinced. "Well, I have to go to Christophsis to deal with the separatists there so I will not see you for a few weeks. Let me know how the competition goes."

"Will do, Master Kenobi."

I watch him leave and breath a sigh of relief. The council aren't as stupid as I first thought, they know that something is going on. Hopefully they won't figure out that I have gone back to see Anakin but, if they do, there isn't really any harm in me seeing him. All I'm doing is keeping him company and if that's a crime then there is something seriously wrong with the galaxy. Sighing, I shake my head to get rid of the thoughts that the council know about what is going on - that is a sure fire way to get caught - and check my chrono again.

It's only twenty past six.

Groaning, I decide that it is probably best if I go for breakfast. However, the moment I walk out of my door I nearly collide with the twins, who are on their way to the mess hall for something to eat I imagine. They never stop eating and never seem to gain a pound, talk about metabolism.

"Hey, 'Soka!" Kay greets. "Tired?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," I grumble. "How'd it go with Master Windu, Jay?"

Jay shrugged his shoulders. "Got told off, had to fix a crack in the ceiling overnight. Nothing a little breakfast won't fix."

"You coming to breakfast today?" Kay asks.

"Yeah," I reply. "My mentor doesn't want me to come round until at least sometime between eight and ten."

"Really?" Jay questions in disbelief. "Woah, you must have gotten one of the best mentors in the temple. What's his name?"

I smirk. "Nice try," I say. "Let's just get some breakfast."

They nod, obviously disappointed, but their spirits still stay at that sky high level. "You know we're going to find out, right?"

"Somehow I doubt that," I comment. "You're not going to get into any more trouble with Master Windu today, are you?"

"Na, we've learned that lesson." Kay says. "At least for now."

"Who's your victim today?" I ask, trying to act casual when my mind is buzzing with ideas about things I don't even know about.

"Some snotty younger initiates." Jay informs me. "But let's not talk about that right now, lets eat."

The doors to the mess hall open due to a motion detector and I almost pause in the doorway when I see how many younglings there are inside. The mess hall is so big that there is always ten or so tables free, but there has to be around three quarters of the younglings in the temple in here right now. It's not that I'm shy or anything, but when most of them look up at me like I'm some kind of god that tends to make a person uneasy. Avoiding eye contact, I walk with the twins to get our breakfast and the moment we have picked a table and sat down two other younglings rush over to me, obviously about nine or ten.

"Hey, are you Ahsoka Tano?" The bigger one asks.

"Yes," I reply. "Why do you ask?"

"Is it true that you made the letters in the ashes change place with the force?" The smaller one questions.

I go silent, unsure of what to say and look at the twins for help. "Well... I, uh..." I have no idea what to say without implying that it was Anakin who did this or, as they know him, my 'secret mentor'.

"Yes, she did." Jay answers for me and I give him a look that clearly says to stop, but he doesn't. "Now run along or else."

They are quick to move away and I do not miss the way that _everyone _was listening and are now talking to one another about it. I start to eat the cereal that tastes like stale bread, I'll eat anything to calm my nerves, and the next second Barris has sat down next to me.

"Good morning, Ahsoka." She greets.

"Morning, Barris." I reply, still far off in my thoughts. "How's your life?"

"Fine, why wouldn't it be?" She frowns.

"Because mine just became the focus of everyone in this room," I grumble. "It doesn't take much to excite the younger initiates."

Barris chuckles. "No, I suppose it doesn't." She frowns at the breakfast I am eating. "Why are you eating that? Aren't competitors supposed to be on special diets from their mentors?"

I look up at her with an unreadable expression and look down at what she's eating. "You're eating toast," I say. "That's a nice diet."

"That's not what I mean, weren't you given one?"

"Well, I guess in a way I was," I slowly confirm. "But I can eat whatever I want aswell." To avoid speaking anymore I shovel some food into my mouth.

"So, Barris, who's you're mentor?" Kay asks in the middle of his eating.

"Master Luminara," Barris replies. "She's considering taking me as her padawan."

They whistle. "Nicely done," Jay says. "What about you, Ahsoka? Will your mentor take you as a padawan?"

"I don't see how that's possible," I murmur.

"What?"

"I doubt it." I say, swallowing the food in my mouth. "He's always really busy doing things."

"That doesn't mean he can't take you on as a padawan," Barris reminds me. "It just means you'll be really busy too."

"Force, I hope not," I say quiet enough for only those around me to hear. "When do you have to get back to Master Luminara?"

"Seven. What about you?"

"Any time between eight and ten. He likes to sleep in late."

"Well, he's got the right idea," Kay says, still shoveling food into his mouth. "Wait, doesn't the chrono wake him up?"

"He doesn't have one, I think he threw it away. I'm not sure."

"I like him already," Jay comments. "Oh gosh, Master Secura's here to choose a padawan."

"Good luck," I mumble, my mouth full of food. "Let me know if she chooses you."

"We're sat right here."

"I know, but you'll probably go so quiet I won't know if you're still sat at this table or not." I say, smiling sweetly before resuming eating. The last time a Jedi knight or master came in to choose a padawan was a week ago - their last padawan had been shot down in battle - and the silence that had descended on the room was unbelievable. I know that I won't be chosen because I have yet to make my lightsaber, which is vital for a padawan to have, and now that Anakin is my mentor I'm loathe to have anyone else teach me. I've learned more with him in a day than I would with any Jedi in a week.

Kay slaps me on the arm playfully and he and his twin roll their eyes. We are all eating in silence for a few seconds when a set of footsteps, with too long strides to be a younglings, stop directly behind us. I repress a smirk as the twins both go incredibly silent and still - something that is their trademark whenever they get nervous. A hand comes into view and lands not on their shoulders as I expected, but on mine. Frowning, I turn around to see that it is not Master Secura, but Master Plo.

What now?

"Master Plo," I greet in the usual Jedi fashion, the briefness being one of the orders finest traits. "I didn't know you were here."

"I was masking my force presence from some new initiates," He says calmly. "It doesn't take much to excite them these days." I cannot help but marvel at the fact that everyone appears to be saying that today. "I came to check up on you."

"I thought Master Kenobi was supposed to be doing that?" I ask, confused.

"Yes, but he is away on a mission as you know." Master Plo reminds me. His attention is momentarily diverted by another Jedi master and Kay grabs my attention.

"Why are members of the council checking up on you?" He whispers.

"Just something I stumbled upon," I whisper back. "Long story."

"I have to go, Ahsoka. Try to stay out of trouble." Master Plo says. "Don't think we didn't know you were in the vents with those two yesterday evening."

The twins faces go bright red but I don't say a thing, like someone who knows how not to give something away does. As he walks away I turn back around to finish eating and barely notice the way that the twins and everyone in the vicinity is staring at me as though I'm hiding something, which of course I am, and it's only when Barris nudges me in the ribs that I notice it. I look at Jay.

"Why is everyone staring at me again?" I ask.

"Because the council keeps checking up on you, that's why." He replies.

"It's just because I disagree with them on something," I say. "They'll lose interest in a week. Besides, I'm just a youngling, what can I do?"

"Change some letters around in the ashes, that's what." Kay mutters with a smirk.

I roll my eyes and glance at the massive chrono built into the wall. "It's almost seven," I mutter. "Don't you have to go now, Barris?"

"Yes, I do." She replies, standing up. "I'll see you later, Ahsoka."

"Yeah, bye." I say, watching as she walks out of the door and presumably towards Master Luminara's room. I then realise that the twins have lessons until they are made padawans and turn back to them. "Don't you have lessons yet?"

"Nope, someone flooded the room we train in. We get the day off." Kay says with a strange gleam in his eye.

"Yeah, I wonder who _that _was." I say, rolling my eyes - something I do a lot whenever the twins are around. "I'd better get going too." I decide.

"What? I thought you said you were allowed to go at any time between eight and ten?"

"I am, but it takes forever to get there." I say, standing. "See you later."

"See ya." They reply before shoveling the remainders of their meals into their mouths. The moment I have left the mess hall I am relieved, there were far too many people looking at me and it is rather unnerving.

Quickly, I head through the corridors of sleepy Jedi - everyone is sleepy and tired in the mornings, even if your a Jedi master - and slip into the deserted corridor with ease. It takes me about three minutes to take off the vent cover, slip through the gap and resecure it. With a sigh, I begin the journey down the overly large vent and think about what Master Kenobi told me early this morning.

The council know that I have gone back to visit Anakin - that much is obvious. What I don't understand is, if they know this, why don't they stop me? Wasn't it them who specifically asked for me _not _to go back and see him. I shake my head, the council can be really confusing when they want to be - even more confusing than a force wielder who won't tell me any details about his past.

After wondering about the council's intentions, taking a few detours to pass the time and an hour and a half passing by, I come to a stop beside the next vent cover. Climbing through the gap that it leaves, once taken off, and resecuring it I walk down the corridor to Anakin's room and knock on the door. I'm not sure if he's awake or not but we did agree on this time so he can't exactly argue with me, can he?

The door opens to reveal that he is standing there and does not look the least bit tired. I wonder if one good nights sleep can do all of that - it usually takes me about five or six restful nights to stop being tired completely.

"Hey, Snips." He greets, making my eyes narrow at the nickname. "I have something I want to show you."


	8. Second Lesson, Day Six, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Second Lesson, Day Six, Ahsoka Tano**_

I am sat on the floor, well lying down would be a better way of putting it, trying to figure out this strange puzzle that Anakin has given me. Well, it isn't really a puzzle, more like a miniature version of a planet. The aim is to maintain life on the planet and to act as the force, guiding the movements and development of the makeshift citizens by pressing buttons and scrolling through the options on a hologram. My head is propped up on a cushion, since the floor is pretty uncomfortable for a persons head, and I have been at this for the past two hours. I still haven't managed to create life - virtual life - on this tiny version of a planet and have no idea how to make it. Anakin refuses to help me and is sat on the sofa scrolling through things on his datapad that are obviously to do with the HoloNet; I can hear the reporters voices right now and they're really distracting.

The miniature version of a planet is like a ball that sits in the palm of my hand, the exact size of training droid that shoots blaster bolts. It is covered in rocks and dust and to make any life of any kind I have to do something - I just don't know what. Lazily, I flick through the options on the hologram and decide to add an Ozone layer, whatever that is. It gives the planet a blueish glow but I can see that it is quickly fading and I click on something called 'a magnetic field'. The laws of the universe are different for this tiny planet so I have no idea what I am doing but the Ozone layer stays put and actually brightens up a bit. I arch my eye marks in surprise.

"You certainly took your time," Anakin comments, not taking his eyes off the datapad.

"Not everyone knows as much about science and astronomy as you do," I retort, opening up another section of options and scrolling through them. "You could have at least taught me a bit about planets before giving me this."

Anakin shrugs his shoulders and as I turn back to the planet in my hand I notice that there is a HoloBook on the floor beside me. Shooting a murderous look at Anakin over my shoulder, which he returns with a cocky smile, I pick up the HoloBook and scroll through it. Everything inside it is about planets, science, astronomy and math. I don't see why I would need to know about maths to do this but it is at the back of the book so I don't have to go through it to get to the part about planets and such. At the front of the book are all the things listed for basic life forms to exist, which I could have used two hours ago when I was first given this abomination. Literally everything is listed for any sort of life to take place - though in this case I'm guessing its bacteria - and the first thing I notice makes me curse myself.

Opening up a tab filled with the options for substances and elements, I drag and drop some oxygen onto the planet and the sound of gas filling a room is made - only the gas is going into the planet. The Ozone layer prevents any of it from escaping, which I find confusing, and I watch the statistics of what is currently going on with the, what I am guessing is a, toy planet and I frown when the oxygen goes up to a hundred percent and another element appears underneath it. I watch in astonishment as another element appears also - how in the force did Carbon and Hydrogen get onto the planet? Narrowing my eyes, I draw out an options tab - again - and monitor the different compounds that can be made. I have no idea what any of these letters and numbers mean apart from a few that I recognised where in the equation for a smoke bomb that Anakin had written out.

With a resigning sigh, I turn back to the HoloBook and turn to the page labelled 'compounds' and scan through them until I find the one I am looking for: water. Thankfully, it needs two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule. I frown thinking that the way the book is written may not be exactly right but think nothing of it as I turn back to the options tab and drag and drop the equation for water onto the planet. Surprisingly, the sound of a tap is made and from the equator of the planet a virtual version of water is made. My jaw drops as it spreads out across the planet and the sound of the water putting out the fires and cooling down the molten rock on the planet is made - before long the entire planet is blue and I cock my head to the side, unsure of what to do next. It feels so strange in my hand and, of its own accord, floats out of my palm to be just in front of me.

"Is that supposed to happen?" I ask Anakin, my eyes never leaving the blue orb in front of me.

"Yes," Anakin replies, looking over the top of his datapad. "You just have to wait until the water goes down and reveals the land for things to grow on."

"But... how much land will there be? What if it's just a water planet?" I question.

"You just have to monitor the changes," He advises, referring to the statistics that are shown via hologram. "The options should show the different things that you can put on the planet once the land has grown but it does take time - as with any normal planet."

"But it isn't a _normal _planet, it's a miniature version with it's own rules and laws." I point out.

"Exactly, except _you _are acting as the force." Anakin reminds me. "Now, since that's going to take a few hours at least to cool and such, any ideas on what you want to learn next?"

"You mean besides learning how to maintain a planet and hot wiring stuff?" I ask sarcastically. "What about... something that will help me win, maybe?"

The look he gives me is a calculating one, like he's trying to figure something out, and I match it with a stare of my own. Before long, he appears to have decided on something and puts his datapad down before going into the same small room where he got the HoloBook about fixing things from yesterday. I look back at the planet floating in front of me and notice the way that it is spinning around slowly and wonder how long it will take before any land shows. When Anakin comes back into the room he has a hologram projector in his hand; I cannot help but try to guess what it is going to show.

"What is that?" I question.

"A holographic map of the area that your competition will be held in," Anakin informs me, placing it down on the coffee table and activating it. A 3D map of a forest area, clearing and lake shows up with moving things on it that I frown at.

"Uh, what are those?" I ask, pointing to what looks like ten foot high metal giants. "They're not what I think they are... are they?"

"Giants," Anakin nods. "That's what they are."

"Giants?!" I exclaim. "But-but my class is a class of younglings... how are we supposed to go up against giants?"

"It's not just giants, Ahsoka. It's giant scorpions, magma figures, nexu's and ackley. Those are the only things in the area that will want to harm you - the others are just animals that are in the area. It shouldn't take long for your classmates to get knocked out of the competition, all you have to do is stay alive."

"How am I supposed to stay alive against _those?_" My hopes of winning the competition are quickly fading. "Why is this even legal? The council shouldn't be allowing this."

"Relax, Ahsoka. It's nothing more dangerous than any separatist battle."

"Really? It sure looks like it is to me." I grumble. "When am I ever going to have to stay alive against things as dangerous as these?"

"Just focus on it, okay?" Anakin stops my protests and nervous speech. "There are two training sabers with a high enough power level to stun any of the creatures with one hit."

"Okay, but how am I going to find one?" I ask.

"There's one here, in the centre of the forest." Anakin points to a specific location and it is highlighted in green. "It's attached to the top of the oak tree."

"How will I know which one is the oak tree? I don't know the difference between any trees."

"I'll teach you," Anakin says. "Anyway, the second one is hidden here -" He points to the lake and it is highlighted in green also. "At the bottom of the lake. You have to be a good swimmer to get it, though, or try to complete the puzzle to get the platform to lift up."

"Puzzle?"

"There are loads of puzzles around the area," Anakin continues. "You'll need to complete a certain one to unlock the compartment which holds the HoloFlag. They're on this datapad," He uses the force to float a datapad from another room into his hand and hands it to me. I look at the first puzzle and frown - it makes no sense whatsoever. "You should probably practise doing those whenever you get the chance."

"What does this mean?" I ask in confusion. "This man is a mystery to me and my world, but this mans father is my father's son. What?"

"Think about it and look at the answers." Anakin suggests.

I look at each of the answers in turn and slowly say, "He is my son?"

Anakin nods. "Yep. Just click the correct answer and it will move to the next puzzle. There are about thirty of them in total, probably a little more." I look down at the next puzzle and frown again - these things don't make any sense to me. "Anyway, to win you have to stay alive - or not get stunned even though death is possible - you need to know how to defeat any of these creatures without a weapon. I know you might be able to get a training saber but you should still know how to do it."

I nod slowly, having the strangest feeling that there's something I should know. "What's the catch?"

* * *

Once again I am exhausted because of the things that Anakin is teaching me. This time I am lying on the floor with my head resting on a cushion and about a million datapads and HoloBooks are around me. Why? I just learned all the hundred points on an acklays body that can either stun or kill it and had to repeat them all ten times to Anakin - believe me it wasn't pretty. I had to recite the twenty-six ways of downing magma figures, the point on a giants body that will knock it unconscious, learn the names of all the trees and leaves and their uses, make a trap for a giant scorpion and take a test on all of those things until I got it one hundred percent right.

Now all of the things are just going around and around in my head and I have been at this for eleven and a half hours, plus the time that I was eating a dinner that Anakin said I had to eat.

Apparently, force users are supposed to eat meals with a high level of calcium to maintain the midi-chlorine count in the blood stream and bones. Now I know what Barris was talking about, but instead of only being allowed to eat certain foods I'm supposed to eat anything with a high level of calcium - basically every type of food in the temple because younglings need to have strong bodies. On the bright side, the worst is over because Anakin used the force to make sure I would never forget the things that I learned until they came to me as quickly as my name - though I do not see how that is necessarily a good thing.

According to Anakin I have learned everything that I was supposed to and now all that I can do is practise with a training saber - which is what the training droid in the corner of the next room is for - and learn a few other things about survival. I'm not overly smart or anything, force knows that's true, but now I can tell anyone how to defeat an acklay or something else... I'm far too tired to even think of the things I can do and I just thank the fact that now I'm just practising with a saber and not reciting things. I don't like sitting still, it makes me restless and unbelievably cranky.

"Don't fall asleep now, Snips." Anakin chuckles. "It's half nine. Aren't you supposed to be back in your room by eleven?"

I sigh and open my eyes - I was literally on the edge of sleep when he started speaking. "If you hadn't tired me out with those pointless facts then I wouldn't have to worry about when I get back to my room." I say in a tired voice.

He smirks. "Come on," He crouches down and pulls me to my feet. "I just don't want you to die, okay? Now, don't forget your datapad or planet - tomorrow I'll let you sit around and do whatever you want, even if that involves me teaching you how to make light."

I snap my head up to meet his gaze; I was a little distracted by something on the coffee table. "Make light?" I ask, eye marks rising. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am," Anakin smiles. "Now go on, if you fall asleep tomorrow I can't guarantee I'll wake you up in a simple way. Good night."

"Good night, Anakin." I stifle a yawn behind my hand and depart the room. Careful to not fall asleep, I go about my usual business of taking off the vent cover, climbing inside, replacing it and making my way down the shaft without fault. The twins are nowhere in sight and I am thankful for that fact and it takes me about half the usual time to get to the next vent cover, climb out of the vent and to walk from the deserted corridor into an inhabited one.

There are barely any younglings about and I know that the Jedi around me can sense how tired I am because they give me sympathetic looks if they aren't engaged in conversation. I am fine as I walk down the corridors and ponder my decisions for what I should do now when Pedro and the twins walk into view. Groaning, I resign myself to the conversation that is definitely about to take place. They walk up to me and I know that it is obvious how tired I am - they can sense it too - and I am grateful for the fact that these Jedi tunics have large pockets. My datapad is in one pocket and my planet is in another, hopefully the water will have gone down by now.

"Hey, 'Soka." Kay greets. "You look really tired."

"I am," I reply. "For the past eleven hours I have been reciting things and staring at datapads - thank force that's over."

The twins smirk. "Think you can stay awake long enough for dinner?"

"Why not?" I ask, hiding a yawn behind my hand. "I could use another dinner."

"Don't tell me your mentor gives you dinner too," Jay says, eyes widening.

"Dinner, lunch, snacks... whatever you want." I shrug my shoulders. "Let's get something to eat."

The twins exchange a look and I notice that Pedro is reciting things under his breath, things that sound like the different ways to stun an acklay and I repress a groan. If anyone so much as mentions any of the creatures involved in this competition I am going to die - everything about this competition seems to be designed to either kill or stun the competitors.

As we pass through the corridors on our way to the mess hall, I notice that every Jedi who isn't a youngling and most of the padawans have grim expressions on their faces. I don't know why and, frankly, I don't want to know. The war between the republic and the separatists is the reason for any of the bad feelings that people have and the dark side is stronger than it has ever been, why would I want to know what terrible thing has happened?

"Hey, what's that?" Kay questions, pointing to my pocket.

I reach inside and pull out the miniature planet that Anakin gave me. "This is just a simulation of what it's like to look after a planet," I say casually. "You decide on what to add to it to create life. Watch." I wave my hand in front of it and the options tabs and statistics appear.

"Let me guess, your mentor gave it to you?" Pedro asks, stopping his muttering to look at it.

"Yeah," I resist the urge to ask how he knows even though it is obvious. I wave my hand in front of the planet again and the holograms disappear before I put it back in my pocket. "How's your mentor been? I doubt he's as ruthless as mine." I add bitterly.

"Yours doesn't seem ruthless if he gave you that," Pedro comments. "And my mentor has been telling me to focus on getting rid of the acklay's. There's a small spot under it's hundred and thirteenth scale that, if hit, will kill it instantly. You just have to punch the scale and -"

"It will be stunned, I know." I cut in. "Actually it's the hundred and thirteenth, twenty-seventh, fourth and seventieth scales that when hit can stun it instantly. Then there are the spots on its neck and head and," I pause and sigh. "This is what I've been doing for the past eleven hours. Now I can't forget any of them."

They don't seem to be interested in my comment since their jaws have dropped and they're giving me that awe stare that many younglings seem to be giving me so I am happy when we enter the mess hall and their attentions are diverted. Without bothering to see if they are following me I go to the counter and get my dinner before returning and sitting at one of the free tables. A minute later, after I have started eating, they come to sit with me and it takes a grand total of two seconds for them to start asking questions.

"So, how much did you get taught?" Pedro asks, beginning to eat his meal.

"Everything you can think of to do with the competition," I say miserably. "You name it I've learnt it. If anyone says that they can learn so much in so little time they have no idea."

Kay smirks. "We'll take your word for it," He comments.

Before anyone else can speak, the door to the mess hall opens violently and we all turn around to see what is going on. A very excited looking youngling is stood there and I cannot help but roll my eyes - it doesn't take a genius to know that something has happened that everyone needs to know about.

"Hey, guess what?" He says loudly. "There's an Aak dog in the hanger, it escaped from a nearby shipment!"

The sound of chairs scraping and excited chattering is all I need to hear to know that it is time to shrink into my chair and the moment I look up and around again, there is hardly anyone left in the room. Sighing, I take one last mouthful of food before standing and walking out of the door. I don't see how a creature is exciting enough for everyone to want to go and see it when the Jedi masters will prevent them from going anywhere near it and probably send everyone to their rooms.

I am practically sleep walking by the time I return to my room and I place my datapad and planet on my bedside table before walking into the 'fresher and changing into my sleep wear. My eyes are half closed as I climb into bed and fall asleep, knowing that if I have another day like this one it will damn near kill me.


	9. Third Lesson, Day Seven, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Third Lesson, Day Seven, Ahsoka Tano**_

I wake up in the usual fashion, though force knows I wish I didn't. The chrono's beeping is still the most annoying thing to date and I make a mental note to disable the alarm clock setting at some point. Yawning, I am about to reach over to turn it off when the beeping stops and I frown. Usually it beeps for about a minute before it turns off. Opening my eyes, I blink and look around to see that Master Ti has turned it off for me. I try not to frown.

Wasn't she supposed to be on Kamino.

"Master Ti?" I ask, wondering if I'm still dreaming or hallucinating from how tired I am.

"Good morning, young one." She says. "You appear to be more tired than usual."

"I spent eleven hours yesterday reading things about acklays and giants and all of those things that are designed to knock someone out of the competition," I hide another yawn and sit up. I rub my eyes since there are still a few blurry images from being woken at six o'clock after a horrendous day.

"It must have been quite a revision session. Now all the younglings are talking about is whether or not you know how to knock out a giant." Master Ti informs me.

I turn bright red for a second and look away, it just so happens that I _do_ know how to knock out a giant. You're supposed to go for the weakest point on it's neck, the soft tissue on the front - I wouldn't call it soft tissue but that's what Anakin told me it's called.

"I must return to Kamino but I felt the need to check up on you before I left," She states, though somehow I know that isn't entirely true. "Good luck in the competition, little one."

"Thank's, Master Ti." I say as she departs my room. The second the door closes I let out a long sigh. How many Jedi masters are going to be checking up on me morning and night? They can't exactly check up on me in the middle of the day because I'm with Anakin at that time. Stifling yet another yawn, I climb out of bed and sleepily grab my clothes before going into the 'fresher and changing.

When I walk back into my room the first thing I do is pick up the miniature planet that Anakin gave me. There are large parts of land now, not green as I would like them to be, but land none the less. I look at the chrono and decide that breakfast can wait; there are more important things for me to be doing, or more fun things, whatever you want to call them.

Dragging out an options tab, I scroll through what I can add and pause when I notice that there is another tab that wasn't there before. Curious, I pull it open and look at it curiously when I notice that it contains several plants and seeds. Naturally, I select grass seeds and drag and drop them onto pretty much every piece of land there is. I don't know whether or not it will take the same amount of time that it did for the water to go down and show different parts of the miniature planet that are land – instead I close all of the tabs and put it back into my pocket, picking up the datapad as I do. The puzzles that I need to figure out are on it and I focus on the next question as I walk out of my room and into the corridor.

I am so busy concentrating on figuring out the puzzle that I do not notice the twins as they walk up to me and peer over my shoulder to see.

"What in the universe is that?" Kay asks, startling me.

I turn around to face them and notice that they are more awake than usual. "Just some puzzles that make no sense whatsoever," I say lazily. "You look like you had a good nights sleep for once."

"So do you, but that's probably because you slept in," Jay says with a smirk. "The Jedi masters set the alarm on your chrono for seven because you looked _really _tired."

"How do you know that? I didn't notice," I question.

"Oh, they told us not to come in and wake you when we arrived at your door. Master Plo went in to check up on you and your alarm had already gone off three times but you didn't so much as move, so they let you sleep another hour."

"Really?" I ask. I'll admit that I've slept through some pretty loud and disastrous things, but the alarm on the chrono always wakes me up. But this also means that I can go to Anakin straight away, how convenient. "I missed breakfast," I remember gloomily. "Oh well, I'll get something from my mentor."

They mumble something that sounds like 'lucky' and walk with me down the corridor. We all walk the same way most of the time but now I just veer off in another direction because of the area of the temple that Anakin's room is in. "Hang on," I begin. "Why was there more than one Jedi master in my room?"

They shrug their shoulders. "Don't know, probably have their reasons." Kay says. "See you later, 'Soka. We have saber practice."

"Yeah, see you." I reply, my thoughts somewhere far off. As they turn down one corridor I turn down another and make a B line for the vent cover. I quickly climb inside the vent and replace the cover before turning and making my way down the all too familiar vent to Anakin's room. As I walk I begin to wonder about why the council continue to check up on me.

What Master Kenobi said before he went to deal with the separatists is unsettling to say the least and I'm not entirely sure that the council have forgotten about me stumbling upon Anakin – the conversation I had with Master Kenobi is proof enough that they think I'm revisiting him, which I am. But if they think I'm revisiting Anakin then why aren't they doing anything? If they made me promise not to go looking for Anakin then don't stop me from visiting him they obviously have something on their minds, I just don't know what.

I really do not understand the Jedi council.

Shaking my head, I should stop trying to figure out how the galaxy works, my footsteps echo quietly off of the metalic walls of the vent before I stop beside the next vent cover and pull it off. After climbing through and replacing it, I walk down the corridor to Anakin's room and knock on the door. I am not sure what time it is but it usually takes me an hour to walk through the vent so I suppose it must be some time around eight or just after it.

The door slides open and I can tell that Anakin has been awake for a while, although he smiles at me like he always does when I arrive his gaze seems to be far off. It is quite obvious that there is something on his mind and he is failing to hide it.

"Morning," He greets. "You look really tired."

I roll my eyes. "The statement of the day," I comment. "Good morning to you too."

Anakin smirks and heads for the lounge as I walk inside and the door automatically closes behind me. For once I can actually sense his emotions through the force and none of them seem to be that good. Nervousness, confusion, anxiety, those emotions are enough to make anyone a little apprehensive. What I'm concerned about is what could be bad enough to worry a force wielder, it's obvious that something shook him pretty badly. The thing that I notice after that is the strange way that there seems to be a glow around him, something that you have to really focus on to see that it's there - and even then you can't even see it.

I watch him carefully as I sit down on the sofa and he seems to be really agitated by something. "What's wrong?" I ask.

He turns to look at me. "What makes you think there's something wrong?" Anakin questions.

"It's pretty obvious," I explain. "I can actually sense your emotions through the force for once."

Anakin mutters something under his breath which sounds like a curse. "Fine," He conceeds. "I can sense something, well, _someone_ powerful. He seems so familiar and then not familiar at all, and he's on the dark side."

I frown. "Is he a force wielder?"

Anakin nods sadly. "I think he is," He sounds grim. "But it's so strange because there are hardly any dark force wielders, which makes me think that he was forced into it."

"How can you force a force wielder to change sides?"

"He probably hadn't chosen one, there are so many neutral force wielders that it's almost impossible to tell who's chosen a side." Anakin explains. "Besides, you can't exactly choose a side until your sixteen so I think he's just a kid, but he seems too powerful to be a child."

"Well, do you know where he is?" I ask.

"No," Anakin answers. "I don't know who he is so I don't know what to sense for." He sighs. "I doubt it matters anyway, someone will probably go to deal with him soon enough."

"What do you mean?" I ask, tilting my head to the side slightly. "You mean, the other force wielders, don't you?"

Anakin smirks. "Yes, they prefer to keep the galaxy darkness free. Except mortals would go hysterical if they knew we existed, why do you think I ended up in here?"

I nod, unable to disagree with him. "Is that why they don't interfere with the war between the republic and the separatists?" Anakin nods sadly. "So... is there a community of force wielders? Where are they all? Someone would know if they were in this galaxy, so they must be somewhere else."

Smirking, again, Anakin sits down on the sofa beside me. "Well, most live on a planet in another galaxy - that is true - but others live in remote areas. I know someone who lives in the space between galaxies, don't ask me how he did it because I still don't know myself."

"And, where do you live? I mean, where did you used to live? Before you got trapped in here."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Anakin says with a smile.

"I think I'd believe anything at this point." I contradict.

He regards me for a second before nodding slowly. "Okay, I have a home outside the boundaries of the universe."

My eyes widen. "You live outside of the universe?" I ask. "But how? That's impossible."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Anakin seems amused by my disbelief. "The force is everywhere, Ahsoka, even outside of the universe. Besides, what makes you think that there is only one universe?"

This time my jaw drops. "There's more?"

Anakin chuckles. "You have a lot to learn," He says. "Which reminds me, when's your life day?"

I blink. Why would he ask me that? "In seven months," I say. "Why?"

"Just curious," I am unconvinced by his statement, it's obvious he wanted to know for a reason. Anakin pulls something out of his pocket and I frown at it. It's basically a ball of glowing, white light and it looks so different. I could swear that I saw the outline of a shield in the centre of it but it disappeared before I could make it out.

"What is that?" I ask.

"Something that I'm really tired of having sitting in my pocket," He states casually before setting it down on the coffee table. "Anyway, I promised to show you how to make light, didn't I?"

I smile. "You did."

Holding out his hand in front of him, Anakin holds it flat so his palm is face up. "It can work in a lot of situations, if you want to create it just think of all the good times in your life or - in an emergency - it will just happen as a reflex once you've learned it." I make a mental note to not do this in front of anyone if I am ever in a dire situation. "Try it like this," One second there is nothing happening, the next there is a swirling ball of light in the palm of his hand which he allows to float up into the centre of the room and add to the lights that have now been turned off. "You try."

Now, I'm not sure if anyone has tried to make light before but it's damn near impossible. My first attempt just makes a load of sparks in my hand which almost set fire to the carpet and my second attempt makes something like a firework appear, which flies into the air and explodes. I arch both eye marks and look at Anakin.

"What was that?" I ask.

"Just a failed attempt, nothing to worry about," He shrugs it off. "Keep trying."

I am a little more cautious this time as I concentrate again. This time it makes a strange crackling noise like someone stepping on egg shells, this makes me cringe, and then a strange wooshing sound. Slowly, I open my eyes to look and am relieved to see that there is a ball of light in my palm. Just before it floats away I get a very strange feeling. My senses feel more sharp, my mind feels guarded and I get the strangest sensation that I can do anything - what makes me frown is the fact that I have no idea where the sensation came from. Just as soon as the feeling comes it goes and I look at Anakin, wondering if he had anything to do with it. I also notice that the glowing orb that he set on the table is gone again.

"Nicely done," Anakin comments, preventing me from asking my question. "You should probably keep practicing."

Now I am a little suspicious that something is going on but decide that I probably should get some practice and focus on trying to create another ball of light in my hand. Before long, there is another ball of light in my hand and - instead of letting it float up to join the two orbs in the air already - I retract my arm to see what it really looks like up close. Of course, it's just a ball of light that I can't see any detail on and my attention from it is diverted when I feel a sharp sensation on my left arm - like there's a pin in it.

I turn quickly to look at it only to see that there is nothing there, and Anakin is busy reading about reports on his datapad to have done anything. He looks at me and frowns. "Are you alright?" He asks.

"Yeah," I say slowly. "I just thought something was in my arm, that's all."

His frown deepens. "Do you want me to take a look at it to make sure?"

I nod. "Yes, please."

Setting down his datapad, Anakin takes my arm gently and his hand begins to glow - sort of like when he healed me the day I met him - as he inspects it. I decide it's best to just let him go about his business and pull out my datapad and try to solve some of the puzzles. The first one - or second one if you count the one I did yesterday - is harder than anything I have ever seen before and in my concentration I do not notice the way that Anakin's hand has begun to glow golden. When I do notice, I frown and watch as he lets go of my arm gently.

"There's nothing wrong with you," He says. "Just a growing pain, that's all."

"I thought growing pains were supposed to be even more painful?" I ask with a frown.

"Sometimes they can feel like a pinch," Anakin explains. "Nothing to worry about. But you should probably keep using the force a lot of the time."

"Why should I do that? Do I need to?" I question.

He shakes his head, though I can see that there is something he is uncertain about. "No, you don't _need _to. You should just keep practicing, that's all." I don't know how I should respond since it sounds as though he's withholding some information - it must be the dark force wielder that's troubling him - so instead I nod and turn back to the puzzles that I am supposed to figure out. "Aren't you supposed to be practising with the training saber?"

"I thought you asked me to figure out these puzzles?" I remind him.

"I know, but learning how to fight better sort of takes priority, don't you think? Oh, and you need to learn the names of certain types of planets."

I groan and put my datapad down on the coffee table; I swear, if today is anything like yesterday there will be nothing to stop me from falling asleep.

* * *

Strangely, I don't feel bored at all, even after a lecture on why I should know what plant does what and so on. It is when I am fighting the training droid that things start to get weird. The first thing that happens is I start to sway for no reason at all - I pass it off as nothing, but Anakin notices and in a heartbeat uses the force to turn off the training droid.

"Are you alright?" He asks, walking over to me.

"Yeah, I'm fi-" I falter as my senses switch off for a moment and I almost collapse onto the floor, except Anakin catches me and holds me steady.

"You aren't alright," He says, which I roll my eyes at - even in my condition. "I think you might have come down with something."

I sigh and almost fall over, again, but Anakin is still holding me steady. His hands start to glow so I guess he is trying to figure out what is wrong and I am thankful for this since my vision is starting to go blurry. It does not take long for Anakin to find out what is wrong and by then he is practically supporting all of my weight.

"You've had a reaction to it," He mumbles.

"A reaction to what?" I ask, trying to stay on my own feet.

"You should lay down, come on." Anakin helps me over to the sofa and I am barely half conscious when I lay down. "There is no way you are going back to your room today, you'll probably pass out just outside the door."

"What if the council check on me?"

"They won't, it's been a week and half of them are off fighting the war." Anakin says casually. "Go to sleep, Ahsoka."

It takes me a few seconds to do as I'm told. For some reason I feel as though I do not have a choice, but that's the way that force wielders do things. At least, that's the way that Anakin does things.


	10. Strange, Day Eight, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Strange, Day Eight, Ahsoka Tano**_

Waking up is in a fashion that I have dreamed about since I was five, without an alarm clock. It feels quite refreshing to wake up of my own accord for once and it makes me wish that I was already a retired Jedi - I know it would sound crazy to anyone else, but they don't have to wake up at six o'clock everyday even when there's nothing that needs doing. My bed feels more comfortable than usual too, maybe it's because I feel so at peace and restful as opposed to my usual state of restlessness. When I open my eyes I frown immediately.

I am not in my room and I know at once why. I was ill, still am judging by how weak I feel, and it takes me a minute to regain my wits and look around to see where Anakin has gone. My datapad is still on the table, which does not surprise me, and there is a blanket around me along with a pillow beneath my head. The first thing I notice when I sit up is the stinging pain in my right arm. Looking down, I see that part of my arm has been bandaged for some reason and I can hear Anakin's voice from another room.

Frowning, I throw back the covers and stand on shaky legs. I know that it's probably not the best idea in the world but something is telling me to go and find Anakin. Hiding a yawn behind my hand, I walk towards the room where I can hear Anakin's voice and - strangely - another persons voice. Nervousness builds up inside of me as I wonder for a moment if a Jedi master walked in whilst I was asleep, but this quickly fades when I realise that I cannot sense any of them nearby. Slowly, I walk towards the room and listen silently to the voices inside.

"...that even possible? I've never heard of something like that." Anakin's voice says.

"It is a rare thing and makes the person that much more powerful." A second voice says, causing me to frown. "You must make sure that no one finds out about this, at least not until I have spoken with the prime minister ."

"I know that, but what do I do until -" Anakin falters and I cannot make out his voice, it has become quieter and down to the barest whisper.

Frowning, I press closer to the door when it opens suddenly and I step back out of surprise. Anakin is stood there regarding me silently with a look that is a mixture of concern, confusion and something else I can't quite make out. "What are you doing standing up?" He asks. "You're supposed to be asleep."

I take a step back out of reflex and fight down a wave of nausea that accompanies the quick movement. "Who were you talking to?" I question.

"No -" He pauses when I pin him with an accusing stare. "My mentor." He corrects himself. "Just asking about something."

"Something that makes the person that much more powerful?" I ask, watching him carefully. "What were you talking about?"

"It's nothing important," Anakin says. "Just stuff to do with the dark force wielder. You should be lying down, come on." I open my mouth to protest when he turns me around by my shoulders and steers me back towards the sofa.

"Hang on," I try to get him back into a conversation but he seems intent on not talking much. "If you were talking to your mentor then how come your still imprisoned?"

"It's complicated." Anakin says, making me sit back down on the sofa. "Now, go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired," I protest, putting my legs up onto the sofa none-the-less. "Why were you talking to him? What did you mean by saying you haven't heard of anything like it?"

Anakin seems to go paler and I frown. "I think you should really go back to sleep, you need to get better."

"What's wrong with me, then?" I ask.

"Reaction," Anakin says calmly. He pulls the blanket up and around me. "Now, go back to sleep."

"I'm not tired," I protest. "What do you mean by 'a reaction'? A reaction to what?"

"Injection, I gave you an injection to get better after you started to feel ill and you had a reaction to it." For some reason I have the idea that he is not lying to me but I am not satisfied with his answer.

"Can't you give a more detailed explanation?" I question. "That leaves a lot to the imagination."

Anakin sighs and gently pushes me back onto the pillow. "I can't give you a detailed explanation right now, okay?" He sounds exasperated. "Now, are you going to go back to sleep?"

"I doubt it."

"Then here," He reaches over to the coffee table and picks up the miniature planet before handing it to me. "I have to read up on something."

"Something about the thing you were talking about with your mentor?" My voice softens as I watch the land areas on my planet turn green with grass.

"Yes." Anakin replies. "Try to rest and whatever you do don't use the force."

I frown. "Really? Why not?"

"It will make your condition worse," Anakin says. "I need to read up on something and then I'll find out how long it is until you're all right again."

This does not make any sense to me but I do not question it. "Okay," I begin. "Will I get better soon?"

Anakin smiles. "Of course you will," He assures me light heartedly. "I'll be right back, I just need to get my datapad."

As he walks off I sigh and settle myself under the blanket. I have absolutely no idea what Anakin is on about and I'm not sure I want to - it feels as though I'm complete and that there's been a part of me missing for so long and now I have it back again, but I have no idea why. Putting the thought aside, I draw out an options tab and begin planting saplings on my miniature planet - why no one has any of these games I have no idea. By the time Anakin returns I have planted over a thousand saplings and closed the options tab to monitor the statistics.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to sleep?" Anakin asks me as he sits down on one of the chairs nearby.

"I'm not tired," I protest. "How long have I been asleep anyway?"

"Twenty-two hours," Anakin says casually. "I do think you should have been asleep for twenty-four, though."

Naturally, I start to feel nervous. I've been asleep for twenty-two _hours_ when the Jedi council is repeatedly checking up on me; Anakin doesn't seem to be the slightest bit nervous about this for some reason, he just seems concerned about reading whatever on that datapad of his. Turning away from him, I just silently watch my planet floating in front of me and rotating slowly. My limbs feel unnaturally heavy and I know exactly why. It's not because of the reaction to the injection that Anakin gave me - which I will be asking him about later on - it's because I am getting drowsy and sleepy.

I can tell that Anakin has found what he's looking for on his datapad because I can sense his emotions through the force again before he puts up his barriers again.

"Oh kriff," He curses under his breath.

"What?" I ask.

"Don't worry about it," Anakin says. "I'll be right back. I just have to get you some water."

I frown. I may not be able to remember much of what has happened in the past twenty-four hours - for twenty-two of them I was asleep - but I definitely know that I did not ask him to get me some water. As he stands he drops his datapad onto the coffee table and then disappears off into another room which I think is the kitchenette. Curious, I shift on the sofa and lean forwards just enough to read the large words at the top of the page that have been highlighted in red.

_"Dimidium Semi__no"_

Tilting my head to the side in confusion, I try to lean forwards to read the rest of it when the datapad goes blank. Looking up, I see Anakin standing in the doorway doing his best to act calm when I can tell that he is not.

"Nosy," He comments, handing me the water and picking up the datapad, which turns on the moment it is in his hands. "You're supposed to be resting, not leaning over the side to try and look at something your not supposed to."

I do not answer, knowing his cocky tone is more annoying than he realises, and take a sip of my drink. Now, I am a person who knows what water tastes like and this does not taste like water. There is a faint taste of water but, mostly, there is something else that I have never tasted before. To be honest, it tastes vaguely like some kind of medicine tablet - believe me, they all taste the same - and I frown at Anakin.

"Did you put something in this?" I ask.

Now it's his turn to frown. "What are you talking about?"

"It doesn't taste like water, it tastes like there's a medicine tablet in it. At least, there _used_ to be one in it." I explain.

Anakin smiles. "It's a tablet containing the nectar from a healing plant where I lived for ten years," He informs me. "It can heal anything, trust me. I've seen it regrow limbs."

My eyes widen. "_Regrow limbs?_"

"But in this case it's just to make you healthy again," Anakin says with a smirk. "Drink it, then you won't have to go back to sleep or keep resting."

To say the idea appeals to me is an understatement so I drink the rest of the water mixed with nectar from force only knows what plant and set the glass down on the table. It doesn't do anything right away, but I notice when I reach out to take the miniature planet from the air that I feel strangely energetic and much more healthy.

"By the way, it makes you a bit hyper - correction - _extremely _hyper. You should probably go and do something for the rest of the day or you're going to end up jumping up and down on the spot or something like that," Anakin says. "It wasn't my first idea to give you any nectar but now that I have you really should find something to zap your energy. I'll see you tomorrow."

I nod quicker than I usually would and stand up. Taking my datapad and stuffing both it and my miniature planet into my pocket, I quickly walk to the door and leave with a quick "Goodbye." I walk down the corridor in record time and reach out through the force to see if there is anyone about; in a quicker time than I had thought possible, I sense that the twins are in the ventilation shaft, _again_.

Smirking, I climb inside of the vent, replace the cover and rush off to find them. At first I think that finding them would be a good idea and that I would not be wasting all of my energy, but when I round a corner quickly and find them tampering with the water valve I know that this is a recipe for disaster.

"What are you doing?" I ask, walking towards them cautiously.

They both look at me and smile. "Hey, where have you been? No one's seem you since yesterday morning."

"I lost track of the time and thought I'd come and find you," I say casually. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if we can shut off the water," Jay says, pulling on a wire that I know is not a good idea.

"I don't think you should do that," I caution. "Especially not that wire."

"Really? Why not this -?" Accidentally, Jay snaps the wire in two and the valve bursts - sending water _everywhere_. But, the main place it seems to go is straight towards me and the twins.

What do we do? The natural thing.

We run like hell.

The twins swear, a lot, as we turn on our heels and bolt down the vents as fast as we possibly can. I resist the urge to call them a pair of idiots and instead use the force to help me jump up to one of the vents above us. As I do this, they follow suit and the water goes straight past us. Of course, stuff like this happens all the time when you have friends who live to cause trouble. One day you could be causing a fuss with name calling, the next you are hiding under a ship to evade a gang of thugs who want to murder you. I have said this to Barris many times but she always said I'm overreacting, _until_ she spent a day with the twins and they almost blew up Master Plo's star fighter.

Believe me, it was not a pretty sight.

"What in force's name did you do that for?" I ask.

"It was an accident!" Jay protested.

I shake my head and roll my eyes. "Forget that, the water will flood every area in the temple that's on the ground floor and I am not taking the blame for this."

"The next vent cover is not that far away, maybe we could get over there and close it?" Kay suggests. "That way we won't get much of the blame."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," I comment. "Let's go this way, I know how to get to the next vent cover without having to swim in the water."

Careful to avoid falling back down into the vent filled with water, we rush forwards and slide down the sloped area of the vent. Quickly, I locate the next vent cover and cringe when I see that the water has already reached it. In war time supplies are low so when the council find out who did this the twins are going to be in so much trouble, but then I'm going to get into trouble for not stopping them. My hyperness has yet to wear off and I am looking for a way to close the cover when Kay slips on the floor and knocks into me, causing me to fall down and into the water.

At least, that was what was _supposed _to happen.

Instead, the water freezes and I land on ice. The twins jaws drop and I stare in shock at the ice I am sitting on. In case you don't know, standing on ice is almost impossible and I don't want to risk it. Slowly, the ice starts to crumble and eventually disappears completely. This would have been considered a good thing if I knew why it had happened or if all of the water had been frozen - however, the next second the rest of the water comes straight at me and I close my eyes to brace for impact.

The next thing that was _supposed _to happen was that I was meant to be swept away by the water, but I wasn't.

The water just moves around me like theres something blocking it and eventually disappears as it either flows down the vent or out of the open vent cover. Now my hyperness has officially worn off and I am frozen in place, my eyes wide, as I look at the space where the water used to be. I am brought back to my senses by the voices of several Jedi outside of the vent who just got drenched in water.

"Ahsoka, come on, we have to go!" Jay whispers frantically to me.

I know that it is serious because he said my name properly and I turn and jump up into the space where they are and follow them through many complex ventilation systems until we come to a stop a long way away from where the water valve is. They are both panting heavily, as am I but not as much, and they turn to look at me with shocked expressions. Neither one has forgotten about what happened and I have no idea what to say.

"What the hell was that?" Kay asks. "The water froze, then it went around you... how in the universe did you do that?"

I can only shake my head slowly. "I didn't, I mean, I don't _think_ I did."

"You must have done it," Jay insists. "We didn't and there was no one else around."

"I don't know what happened," I say. "And neither do you. Besides, we can't ask anyone about it or they'll know that we were in the vents when the water valve burst and then they'll know that you two had something to do with it and I'll end up getting blamed even though I told you not to touch that wire."

They don't seem happy but nod in agreement. "Okay, let's get out of the vents and then find Pedro." Kay says. "I think you should go and ask Master Yoda about what happened."

"You want to get caught?" I ask.

"No."

"Then I can't, can I? We went over this a minute ago." I remind them. "Now can we just get out of here before anyone comes snooping around."

As we begin to walk to the next vent cover so we can get out, I can sense that they are trying to think of an explanation of what happened in their minds, which is odd. I've never been able to sense what's going on in people's heads before and I have no idea why I can now. Every Jedi has barriers around their minds that it takes a long time to learn how to sense things through and I haven't been taught anything like that.

Perhaps it was just a side effect of drinking that nectar that Anakin failed to mention. I can't think of any other explanation and it is one of the only options that I can think of aside from the fact that Anakin might be responsible. We make it to the next vent cover rather slowly and I can tell that we have been in the vents for an hour at least. Once again I am confused, my sense of time is not the best but for some reason I just know that an hour has passed. I am completely silent as we each clamber through the gap left by the now removed vent cover and the only thing I am focused on is putting the whole thing behind me, but the twins saw it and that means that it won't be easily forgotten.

"I'm going to lay down," I say to them. "I need to clear my head."

Before either of them can reply I have turned and walked around a corner into one of the more inhabited corridors. We had come out of the vent at a time when literally no one was around and now that I can see everyone they look like they've all been swimming in their clothes. Not one person looks happy and the moment they see how dry I am they know that I was somewhere vent free - except I was actually _in _the vents but they don't know that. I know instantly that they think I am lucky and when I turn into the corridor that my room is in I spot several members from my class who are soaking wet. They take one look at me and their expressions turn accusing.

"Where were you?" Katooni asks. "How come you're not soaked?"

"My mentors room doesn't have vent covers in it," I say casually, it is not a lie. "What happened to you?"

"We were walking about when a wall of water caught us off guard," Byph says, still looking me up and down with narrowed eyes. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"No," I reply. "But I might have an idea of who did."

They pin me with stares that demand answers and deliberatley block the way to my room. I sigh in expasperation. "Fine, it was the twins. Happy? Now can I get into my room, I need to lay down big time."

"Why? What happened?" Pedro asks.

"I was ill all night," I say casually. "I don't want it to happen again. Excuse me."

I gently push past them and enter my room. When I hear them all stomping off I know that it is to find the twins and, in their terms, to kill them but I am in no mood to be bothered with what they are doing right now.

My mind has been on what happened in the vent ever since it happened and as I empty my pockets and flop down onto my bed I cannot help but look at the bandage on my right arm. That must be where Anakin injected me to stop me from being ill, but then I got more ill because of it. Actually, I remember feeling the sensation of a pin in my arm yesterday - was that him? Shaking my head slightly, I sigh and walk into the 'fresher to get changed. This has been a long and confusing day which I would rather like to forget and pretend it never happened, which would be much easier if there hadn't been two witnesses.

As much as I hope it was Anakin, for some reason I can tell that it wasn't. This just makes me more confused and I lay back down on my bed and look at the chrono. It's just after seven and if anyone comes looking for me they'll know that I wanted to lay down because every time someone looks for me they ask my class mates, and I already told them about me feeling ill so I can't exactly get into trouble. Stifling a yawn, I close my eyes and easily drift off to sleep. Sleep comes easily if you're confused and it's basically a massive reprieve.


	11. Senses, Day Nine, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Senses, Cruiser, Starkiller**_

Power.

My head snaps up from the datapad that I am reading when I sense it. A flicker, just a flicker, of raw power. Then another, another flicker of the exact same thing. These flickers are too much power to exist, they should not exist at all. It was so sudden and so brief, enough to make me nervous - I cannot trace it. These flickers were so sudden and disappeared just as fast; the knowledge that enough power like this exists and in so brief a moment is, to put it simply, scary. I know for a fact that power like that should not exist in the galaxy, only _I _can possess that amount of power. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I straighten and turn on my heel, heading for the hologram communicator between myself and Darth Sidious.

I was instructed to contact him at once if anything happened that concerned me, anything at all. This obviously classifies as something that concerns me. Upon entering the room, I activate the communicator with a flick of my wrist and go down on one knee as a sign of respect. It takes a few seconds before the image of Darth Sidious appears, cloaked as usual. For some reason I cannot help but wonder why he feels the need to wear a cloak, it's not as if anyone would dare to question the most powerful beings in the universe.

_"Starkiller." _He greets in surprise. _"I did not know that we were due for an update on your mission."_

"It is not that, Lord Sidious." I say, my head bowed low. "I am contacting you about a surge of power that I have felt just moments ago."

He is obviously shocked. _"You mean to tell me that you sensed a surge of power that was powerful enough to concern you, a skilled force wielder?"_

"Yes," I confirm. "There were two flickers for just a moment each time but I could sense raw power emanating from each of them. Whoever caused it is exceptionally powerful and, I dare say, more powerful than myself."

_"Proposterous," _Sidious says. _"No one is more powerful than you."_

"Which is exactly why I saw fit to contact you and tell you about what I have sensed," I continue. "This does qualify as a concern, after all."

_"It certainly does." _Sidious agrees. _"I will look into this at once, in the meantime I trust that you will have no problems on Alderann."_

"None at all, Lord Sidious." I reply.

* * *

_**Senses, Council Room, Yoda**_

In the middle of Master Windu's speech I frown and close my eyes, focusing on the thing that I have just sensed. Master Windu stops speaking and it is obvious that every member of the council has seen that I am focused on something. There was a flicker, just a flicker, of something that is more than concerning. Power, and lots of it. I could sense it for just a moment, then it happens again. Another flicker, this one is accompanied with a large wave of confusion through the force before everything vanishes once more.

"Master Yoda, are you all right?" Master Kenobi asks.

"Power, I sense." I say, my eyes still closed as I try to focus on it but something has blocked it. "Much power."

"Power from where?" Master Windu questions.

"Know this, I do not." I say in disappointment. "Sense confusion, I did."

"Do you mean to say that the person who this power is coming from is confused about it?" Shaak Ti asks.

I am able to trace that much through the force since it was unguarded. "Know nothing about the power coming from them, this person does. Unsure and afraid, they are. Sense who they are, I cannot."

There is silence for a moment.

"Meditate on this, I will."

* * *

_**Senses, Day Nine, Ahsoka Tano**_

This time I wake up in a fashion that is painfully loud.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

My eyes open quickly and I sit bolt upright in bed. I am also being shaken awake too so I barely have any time to adjust to the morning light and have to rub my eyes to see things clearer.

"What?" I ask stupidly, looking around.

"Ahsoka!" To my horror I see that it is Kay and Jay, and they are not alone.

"What have you done now?" I question, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and looking at the chrono. "Why did you have to come here at five in the morning?"

"What happened in the vents, that's why we're here." Jay says.

I tense immediately. "Oh, that." I say. "I don't know exactly what happened in there and it probably wouldn't if you hadn't gone and broken the water valve."

"Yeah, yeah, never mind that." Kay waves his hand to simulate wiping something away. "Do you know what happened? Did you go and talk with anyone?"

"I already told you why I can't," I snap. "Besides, it's five in the morning and you could have at least asked me about it when I'm actually awake!"

"Why won't you talk about it? It was so cool!" Jay exclaims.

I sigh in exasperation. "It's a sunday, can't you leave it a while. Plus, I'm ill and supposed to be resting so you should probably go before you catch whatever it is that I have."

"Hey, have you ever considered that your illness is why you were able to freeze the water?" Kay suggests.

"I didn't freeze anything!"

"Not on purpose, but we didn't do it and you were the only person who could have." Jay says.

I open my mouth to retort when the sound of footsteps is heard from the corridor outside. Easily, I sense that it is a Jedi master who must have heard me shout.

"You should probably go before you get into trouble," I suggest. "They don't know that it was you who broke the water valve yet, do they?"

"They don't, your right." Jay says, turning to the people the twins had brought with them. "Let's go. Come on."

In a rush they all scramble out of my room and I sigh before laying back down on my bed. The twins have to be the stupidest, most arrogant and attention seeking people I have ever met, but they're also my friends. I wouldn't half mind what happened in the vents if those two would just shut up about it, by now half the temple will know. The footsteps are much louder than they were before and I simply stare at the ceiling above my head, far too exhausted to try and pretend to be asleep because any Jedi master can tell when someone is faking.

The door to my room opens and Master Luminara walks in, which I find odd. I mean, obviously she's in the temple because she's Barris' mentor but I didn't know she woke up at a time before five o'clock in the morning, which I will not be doing again, given the choice.

"Young Tano, what are you doing up at this hour?" She asks gently.

"I got woken up by the twins and their shady friends," I tell her.

Master Luminara smiles. "Those two are quite a handful for whoever is responsible for them."

I smirk. "That's true," I agree. "But I'm not responsible for them."

"Are they the reason you were shouting?" She asks.

"I'm not a fan of being woken up early."

Master Luminara's smile falters and she frowns. I can feel the way she is trying to sense something through the force. "I can sense that you do not quite feel healthy," She says slowly. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I didn't yesterday," I inform her. "But I feel better now. Just a little... off, that's all."

"It is a sunday, you should stay here and rest." Master Luminara suggests.

"I'll try to, master." I say. "But I promised a friend I'd spend the day with them."

She nods slowly and it is obvious that she feels I should spend the day resting. "Well, make sure that you don't overexerting yourself today. If your condition gets any worse be sure to tell someone."

"I will, master." I assure her.

It takes me about thirty seconds to register the fact that she has gone and I stifle a yawn behind my hand. Being woken at five o'clock in the morning is never considered to be a good thing and the annoying thing is that it's nearly impossible to go back to sleep afterwards when the time for you to wake up is only an hour later. My mind begins to drift and I become confused once more about what happened yesterday in the vents. The water froze just before I was about to fall into it and most likely drown or die from something else, then the rest of the water just went around me as though there was something in its way. I didn't even get the slightest bit wet.

This fact isn't just confusing, it's frightening. Anakin must have done it, he had to of. But with the twins and their friends trying to ask me about what happened then it will be impossible for me to go back to his room until some time towards the middle of the day. Slowly, I sit upright once more and stand up. There's nothing good that can come of me just laying around and I quickly go into the 'fresher to change before coming out and picking up my datapad. If I can't do anything else I might as well try and figure out what these puzzles mean.

I take one look at the first one and groan, these puzzles are always hard for me. I don't even know what some of the words mean. Sighing, I am about to put the datapad back down when the meanings of each of the words pop into my mind. With a frown, I bring the datapad closer and read the question once more. I did not understand it a moment ago, how can I understand it now?

Slowly, I click on the one that I believe is the answer and it goes to the next question after flashing green, indicating that I answered correctly. Shaking my head slightly, I put the datapad down on the bedside table and pick up the miniature planet instead. That was just too creepy, the words and the meanings just popped into my brain out of nowhere and I have no idea why. I attempt to distract myself by meddling with the planet and adding a few more plants, but it doesn't do any good. The thought that enters my mind is that this is just another side effect of taking that nectar - these things can't just be happening, that makes no sense.

I am on the verge of just dropping everything and finding something else to do when the door to my room opens and I look up. Barris walks in looking curious about something.

"Is it true?" She asks, coming to sit on the bed beside me. "Everyone's saying that you froze water with the force and then made it go around you. Ahsoka, tell me it isn't true."

"I didn't do it," I say. "Kay knocked me over and I was about to fall into the water when it just... froze. Then it started to disappear and then some more water came my way and it just went around me. I didn't have anything to do with it, how could I have?"

"But then, who did? It's obvious that someone did it and if it wasn't you then who was it?" Barris questions.

I sigh. "I don't know," Is all I can say. "But this is just giving me one big headache and I was sick all of yesterday so it probably isn't a good idea for me to be stressed out."

Barris shakes her head. "It isn't. I got woken up when you shouted, everyone in our clan did, but we stopped worrying when Master Luminara said she'd go and look into it."

"I shouted that loud?"

"Yes, you did." Barris confirms. "Do you want to get some breakfast? You look like you could use it."

"At five in the morning?"

"It's half past five and breakfast started five minutes ago," Barris reminds me. "If you're still feeling ill then you should eat. Come on."

"I don't feel ill anymore, I just don't want to feel ill again and I'm a little confused." I correct her.

Barris rolls her eyes and grabs my arm gently, leading me out of the room. As much as I would prefer to stay in my room until eight o'clock and then go to Anakin's room without being bothered, the thought of food is slightly appealing to me. I was asleep for twenty-two hours yesterday and I doubt I've eaten anything since the lunch I shared with Anakin which was two days ago. There aren't many people about but I know that any younglings that are already awake will head straight for the mess hall.

It's fairly obvious that I am being herded into the mess hall by Barris because she still has a hold of my arm, knowing that if she lets go I'll stop and go back to my room. As we walk I become aware that the floors and walls are still damp but not as wet as they were yesterday or should be today. The cleaning droids did a nice job of fixing everything but the electronics are quite obviously fried. When we arrive at the mess hall it is obvious that someone has had to force to doors open judging by the uneven angle and there are only a few people inside, including the twins who look guiltier than they ever have before.

They both look up at me and make strange faces and glance down at their food. It looks awful, worse than anything I've ever seen before and I know that it's because the food replicator isn't working and it was hand cooked. Jedi aren't exactly good cooks.

"Hey, 'Soka, you don't think you could do something about the wiring could you?" Kay asks.

"How could she? Ahsoka doesn't know anything about electronics." Pedro says, sitting down with his own plate of mushy food.

The twins snort. "She spent a whole day doing electronics with her mentor, I think she should try it." Jay informs him and all the younglings who are listening.

Barris turns to me. "Do you think you could, Ahsoka? It would be a great help."

"Yeah, and we wouldn't have to eat this..." Kay pushed around his food. "Whatever it is."

I sigh really not wanting to do it, I swore never to go near a plug socket again, but I can't not help them. "Fine, I'll do something. The lights can't be too hard to get on." I concede.

Spotting the nearest plug socket, I walk over to it and carefully pry it open using the force. Ignoring the impressed sounds behind me - they really need to get out more - I search through the soaked wires until I find the ones that I am looking for. Carefully, I attach two of the wires together and watch as they spark before connecting them together. One of the lights begins to flicker. I take out some wires and fit them in the other way around before attaching a new bunch of wires together. Suddenly, the door makes a whirring sound and closes on its own. I curse quietly.

"Tell me you didn't just lock us in." Jay says.

"I don't think so," I say slowly. "It hasn't locked."

Slowly, I stand up and walk towards it. The moment I come close to it the door opens automatically and closes when I take a few steps back. I cannot help but smile, the things that Anakin taught me are actually quite useful.

"Woah." The twins comment in unison.

"What about the lights?" Pedro asks.

I resist the urge to walk over to him and throttle him, tampering with the wiring of things isn't as easy as I made it look. Sighing, I walk back over to the open plug socket and begin to meddle with the wires again. It takes a lot of time and effort to get just one of the lights on and I curse the twins repeatedly in my mind for breaking the water valve and frying everything electronic. Just as I am about to fix another of the lights the door to the mess hall opens and two Jedi masters walk in. The first thing they look at is the light and then straight at me.

It then comes to my attention that this might be against the temple rules; I've never heard of tampering with the wiring being allowed before.

"What are you doing?" Master Windu asks.

"Uh..." I am at a complete loss as to what to say.

"She fixed the light, and the door." Kay explains. "'Soka tampered with the wiring."

Now I really feel the need to throttle someone. Talk about getting people into trouble.

"_You _fixed the damaged wiring which the droids have been working on all night?" Master Plo asks.

I try not to get annoyed by how little faith he has in my abilities. "I did." I confirm slowly, wondering what to expect. Accidendatley, I push two wires together and it sparks before all of the lights come on, along with the electrical equipment behind the counter which means that the replicator is still working.

"All right," Jay says happily. "Let's get some food!"

I roll my eyes at the comment and place the wires back into position whilst making sure not to disconnect any of them. By the time I have resecured the plug socket cover, everyone is at the counter getting new food. The twins are back in their seats eating happily and giving me the thumbs up, which makes me smirk. Standing, I move to join them when a hand on my shoulder stops me. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who's it is and I turn around to look at Master Plo and Master Windu.

"Before you do that," Master Windu says. "You could help the droids fix all of the wiring."

"_All _of it?" I repeat in dismay. I've spent an entire day doing stuff with wires and datapads and I don't mean to do it again. "Isn't that a little... large scale?"

"At least think about it," Master Plo says, releasing my shoulder. "But first you'll probably want to get some breakfast."

"Yeah, probably." I agree before turning around and giving the twins a murderous look, to which they respond with innocent ones, then going up to the counter and getting my own breakfast. When I rejoin then I pin them with cold glares. "Why did you have to go and say that? Now I'm going to have to fix every circuit in the temple because the droids are too hopeless to do it themselves."

"What? Don't tell us you had plans." Jay says with his mouth full.

"Not everyone likes to lay around all day being a slob," I retort. "You still owe me after yesterday."

They both look up at me with quirked eyebrows. "Oh? So you're admitting that it _was_ you?"

"No, it wasn't." I correct myself. "You owe me for saving both of your necks."

They shrug their shoulders. "We'll help you avoid being spotted, just make sure you take the first corridor on the left and you're journey is a clean as -" Kay looks around. "Well, as clean as the temple used to be."

I sigh and start eating, desperate to not talk to them. At the moment I don't feel like talking to anybody apart from Anakin and I need to make sure that he was responsible for what happened in the vent of I'm going to be really confused. My gaze is kept low on my plate as everyone who enters the mess hall frowns in confusion and is then told that I did it and they look at me in awe. I hate attention, too much of it can get people killed or change the way that people think. Barris gives me a reassuring smile and I feel slightly better.

I need to ask Anakin about what happened.


	12. Fourth Lesson, Day Nine, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Fourth Lesson, Day Nine, Ahsoka Tano**_

After finishing my breakfast I take the twins advise and take the first corridor to avoid being spotted by any Jedi masters who want me to fix the whole of the temples circuitry. It takes me a few minutes to reach the vent cover, climb inside and start on my way down the vent to Anakin's room. In an hour I reach the next vent cover and the corridor to Anakin's room. Quickly, searching for answers, I walk down the corridor and knock on the door. I need to know what is happening more than I need to know how to survive in the upcoming competition.

The door opens and Anakin smiles in greeting as usual. His room is not damp or tainted by the water from the valve bursting and I know that it is because his room does not have any vent covers and he is a force wielder. "You're early," He comments and I remember that I forgot to check the time before I left. "Never mind." Anakin regards me silently for a moment. "Somethings bothering you."

I nod slowly, unsure of how to approach the subject. "Well... did you hear about the water valve bursting? And how the entire ground floor of the temple was flooded?"

Anakin nods. "Of course I did, I got rid of all the water around here - not that any got into my room. You didn't do that did you?"

"No, of course not," I say. "But... I was there when it happened and had to run to avoid being swept away by it." I continue. "And then when me and the twins went to close one of the vent covers, I got knocked down and into the water."

"You did? Are you all right?" Anakin asks in concern.

I swallow. "So... it wasn't you?" I question.

"What wasn't me?" Anakin frowns in confusion.

"Well... just before I hit the water it sort of... froze." I pause and watch his face for signs that he already knows this and am saddened to find that there are none. "Then it just dissolved away."

Anakin archs both eyebrows. "It... it did?"

I nod.

"That's... odd." He says slowly. "Really odd. Was it a life and death situation?"

"Well, I was probably going to drown." I explain. "And then... the rest of the water came at me and it just went around me like there was something holding it back, like a force field or something."

Anakin's eyebrows, if possible, rise even higher. "Okay, that's even weirder." He says.

"So it really wasn't you? You didn't do it?" I ask. "Because I don't know what happened and there was no one else around... does that mean _I_ did it?"

Anakin frowns and shakes his head. "Of course it doesn't," He reassures me. "Let's sit down and I'll try to figure out what happened, all right?"

I nod and walk inside towards the lounge, sitting on the sofa that I slept on yesterday and waiting for Anakin to join me. If he doesn't know what happened then I have no way of knowing whether it was me or not and that would only make me even more confused, if that is at all possible. When he finally does come back into view it is with a glass of water, which makes me frown. The water valve burst and the entire tank was drained, where did he get the water from?

"Where did you get the water?" I ask. "There's none left in the tank, how did you get that?"

Anakin does not seem bothered by the question as he hands me the water. "I used the force to make it," He says casually. "Really tricky to master, something you need an actual teacher for."

I frown. "Making water?" I say in amazement. "Wait, how is it more difficult than making fire or light?"

Anakin sighs and smiles. "It's complicated." He says.

This time, and especially since I am so confused, I don't want to take any non-detailed answers. "Care to explain?" I ask. "I mean... you have to have learned all of these things from somewhere and I know that you had your mentor and all but does he really know all of that?"

Anakin seems to tense up. "I'm not sure -"

"Please," I plead. "I've never been more confused in my life about everything that is happening and I can't help but wonder if things like this happen to other people too. The other force wielders, did they all learn from single mentors too?"

"I can't tell you about that, I'm sorry." He says. I open my mouth to ask again but he cuts me off.

"Never mind," Anakin smiles at me. "You're not supposed to be stressed or confused anyway. Let's play a game."

"What kind of game?" I ask, now very confused and completely unable to think about anything except for the fact that Anakin is hiding something from me.

"Chess." Anakin says simply. "It's a great way to have fun, especially when the pieces can use the force to do things."

"Wait, say what?"

Anakin smirks. "Wait here and stop thinking about it otherwise you'll give yourself a headache." He suggests. "And if you do then I'll use the force to stop you from getting nervous or stressed." He adds. "Now, where did I put that chess board?"

* * *

Several hours later I have put all thoughts of the ways that people are taught to be force wielders and the strange things that happen out of my mind. Anakin is right about many things, that much has been obvious to me since the day I met him, and he was right about chess too. I'll admit that when I made a wrong move and a cushion from the sofa smacked me in the head I was a little shocked, but I'm over that now and so long as I remember to duck whenever one of my pieces is taken I'm as good as gold. This is my tenth game of chess and now I don't think that anything could shock me.

"How many things can you do?" I ask, ducking to avoid a stray HoloNovel from another room.

"I can do lots of things," Anakin says.

"But you haven't really showed me many of them," I remind him. "I mean, the light and fire stuff was the best thing I've ever seen in my life but if you're a force wielder then shouldn't you be able to do a little more?"

At this point, Anakin archs both eyebrows, crosses his arms and leans back in his chair. "Oh? Is that a challenge?" He asks.

I smirk. "In a way," I say.

Anakin narrows his eyes for a moment. "Okay, I'll show you some of the other things that I can do." He agrees. "Think of something and I'll do it."

Frowning, I try to think of something that would probably amount to awesome no matter where it happened. "Could you... turn the table into a shaak?" I ask.

Smirking, Anakin waves his hand at the coffee table and I nearly fall out of my seat when it turns into a large shaak that takes up half of the lounge. "Woah," I comment, smiling. Anakin waves his hand again and the animal turns back into the coffee table.

"Next?" Anakin asks.

"Um, well..." I try to think of something that would be considered impossible to do. "Can you... throw a fireball?" It's a stupid question, I know, but throwing a fireball and making fire in the palm of your hand has to be different - he can't exactly wait twenty minutes for the fire to become really big and then throw it, can he?

Anakin holds up his hand, lazily, and a ball of floating fire appears in it. Casually, he throws it at the wall and sets it alight. At first I smile and then I stop when I realise that the wall is on fire.

"Um..." I begin.

Clicking his fingers, a wall of water appears from out of nowhere and puts out the fire. Now _that_ is probably the best way to stop any fire that has ever existed. The water then turns into steam and evaporates, leaving no trace that there was ever anything there.

"Anything else?" He asks. "A little more complicated perhaps?"

I frown then, what's more complicated than doing all of those things that he just did? Anakin doesn't seem to have broken a sweat and there must be something that will make him run away with his tail between his legs. I smile as a thought occurs to me. "Make a lightsaber blade out of thin air," I challenge.

This makes him pale and I cannot help but smile even more. Is it possible that I've actually found something that he cannot do? "Okay," He agrees, making me wonder if theres anything that he can't do. This time he is obviously concentrating hard because he has to close his eyes and I feel a wave of triumph wash over me - the things that I think are impossible he can do easily, but the things that I _know_ are impossible he has to concentrate on. He places his hand palm facing upwards and then, slowly, brings it down. In its wake it leaves a glowing saber blade coloured a brilliant sapphire colour. When he takes his hand away it just stays there and doesn't disappear, but I can tell that Anakin want's to disappear right now because he looks more tired than before.

"That's..." There are no words to describe how truly extraordinary that is. He just created a saber blade out of _nothing_. How in the universe did he do that? I doubt he'd ever tell me but it's still a wonder that he can actually do it, even if it does drain his energy. "Wow." I comment, eyes wide. "How do you get rid of it? A lightsaber can cut through anything so you obviously can't touch it."

Anakin smirks at this. "Can't touch a saber blade? Please," He says sarcastically. "Piece of cake."

"Touching a saber blade? I mean touching it and not getting hurt at all." I correct myself. "You can't do that, Master Yoda's always telling us that it's impossible."

"Well, it might be impossible for the Jedi but I think I could manage it." Anakin comments.

"Okay, go on then." I dare him, crossing my arms over my chest.

Without hesitation, Anakin reaches out and grasps the saber blade as though its a solid thing. Unable to prevent it, my jaw drops. Sparks appear to be flying from where his hand is holding the blade and he moves it closer to him like an object in his hand before waving his hand again and making the saber disappear completely. The thing that makes me curious is that touching the saber didn't even seem to make Anakin tired where as creating it obviously drained a lot of his energy; if anyone could think of anything that is impossible then I have no doubt that Anakin would prove it false.

"Anything else?" Anakin asks.

I shake my head. "I can't think of anything." I say.

"Really?" Anakin archs an eyebrow. "Well, I suppose doing things like this in the small scale easily doesn't leave a lot of room for you to think of something, but if we were outdoors and I was doing things in a much larger scale I doubt you'd think me as powerful as you do now."

"But being tired doesn't mean you're not powerful," I protest. "It just means that it's difficult to do, that's all."

Anakin nods his head to the side and turns back to the chess game that we were originally playing. "Hmm, you've trapped my queen." He mumbles before moving one of his rooks. "Check." He says with a smile.

I have a second to frown at the chess board before being forced to duck under a projectile in the form of a cup. It smashes on the floor somewhere but Anakin doesn't seem to mind at all. Carefully, I move my kind behind on of my knights and, thankfully, no objects are thrown at me by the small pieces that seem intent on people knowing that if they make a wrong move there will be pain involved.

"So, do you remember all of the ways to bring down an acklay?" Anakin asks.

I groan. "Not again, please, not again."

"I was just asking if you remember," Anakin says.

"How could I forget? They're all stuck in my brain whether I like it or not," I remind him. "And you promised I wouldn't have to learn anything else about them."

"You won't, don't worry." He assures me. "Now, you might want to duck. I just took your bishop."

"What?" I ask, frowning before understanding and quickly ducking down as a cushion flys over my head. "Huh, I guess losing a bishop isn't that bad." I comment. Suddenly, another cushion flys at my head and I yelp in surprise.

Anakin starts to laugh. "They can hear you, you know," He says through his laughter.

I roll my eyes, still rubbing the back of my head. "Shut up," I grumble. "How is it that they can use the force anyway?"

"Force sensitive chess set," Anakin says, shrugging his shoulders. "The board is what gives the pieces force sensitivity, nothing like those chess sets witches play with."

"Witches?" I ask.

"On Dathomier, they think they're so mighty and powerful when their power is just a more physical form of the force." Anakin explains. "In fact, you can defeat them just by countering their 'magic' with a simple shield."

I roll my eyes. "There is nothing _simple _about creating a shield out of thin air," I remind him. "Can you make _anything_ force sensitive. Like, an object or something else?"

Anakin snorts. "Of course I can," He says cockily. "I just prefer chess sets because they're more fun. You should see what happens in a game of scrabble."

"Can you make something like... a datapad force sensitive?" I ask. "Because that would save people a lot of trouble."

Frowning, Anakin rubs his chin. "You know, I don't think anyones ever tried." He says. "Maybe I should try it. Do you have your datapad?"

I check my pockets and frown when I find that it is still there; I thought, no, I _know_ that I took it out and placed it on my bed side table along with my miniature planet, which is suspiciously absent from my pocket. Barris dragged me out of my room so I didn't really have enough time to get either object and yet here is the datapad in my pocket. How strange.

"Uh, it's right here," I say slowly, handing it to Anakin. "But I could have sworn that I left it in my room."

"Maybe you just forgot it was there," Anakin suggested.

I shrug my shoulders and lean back in my chair. The chess set was set up on the table in the lounge and I cannot help but wonder where the council got all of this furniture from. He certainly has a nice cell, if that's what you'd call it. Anakin's eyes turn a very light shade of blue and I can tell he is doing something to the datapad since both of his hands are glowing and I can here strange noises coming from the datapad. Yawning, I rest my head on the back rest and try not to fall asleep. It doesn't take much for me to fall asleep these days, and it probably has something to do with the fact that I was woken at five in the morning.

A loud beeping sound brings me back to my senses and I sit up straight at once when the sound of an alarm goes off.

"What is that?" I ask.

Anakin smirks. "Your datapad was just waking you up," He explains, handing me it back. "It worked, after a bit of tinkering, and now it has a sort of conscious."

"Conscious?" I question before looking down at the datapad. "As in, it can think for itself?"

The screen of my datapad lights up and displays a few words. _"Yes, I can think for myself." _

My eyes widen and I quickly put the datapad down on the table. "Okay," I say slowly. "That's going to take some getting used to."

"It probably will," Anakin agrees. "Okay, it's your move."

Looking at each of the pieces in turn, he's got my king trapped in one corner, I decide to move my king further out of the trap that Anakin has set when my datapad beeps loudly from beside me. Turning, I see the letters appearing one by one on the screen. _"Go for his queen, theres no possible way he can close the trap without it."_

Blinking, I frown and look from the chess board to my datapad. I'm being given advise from a datapad, maybe I'm going crazy. Shrugging my shoulders, I don't exactly have anything to lose, I move my knight to take his queen and laugh when he is caught off guard by several flying HoloNovels - losing your queen must give you a huge punishment.

"Ow! What the -?" Anakin looks around for a moment and then from me to my datapad. "Hey! That's cheating."

I smile. "No it's not, I'm just taking advise."

"From a datapad," He grumbles.

My datapad beeps loudly and I cannot help but grin, it was clearly a warning.

Anakin sighs. "I shouldn't have made it force sensitive," He scolds himself. "Just make your move. No taking hints from the datapad, turn it off."

Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly hit the off switch on the datapad and turn back to the board. Slowly, I move my rook to trap Anakin's king on one side of the board and am rewarded by a cheer from all of my pieces, which makes me smile. Unfortunately, Anakin then checks my king and reforms his trap which means I have to duck under the table or risk getting hit by a rogue paper pad that was on the coffee table. I wonder if the pieces ever don't punish someone if they make a wrong move, they started punishing me ever since my first move.

Calmly, I move my king out of the way and get hit by a cushion. "Ouch!" I rub the throbbing spot on my forehead. "What was that for?"

Anakin smirks. "Checkmate." He says, moving his knight forwards. "I'd duck if I were you." He suggests.

Groaning in annoyance, I duck under the table and am forced to stay there due to the amount of things that are being tossed around the room like they aren't being controlled by chess pieces. After a while the things stop flying about and when I gain the courage to peek out over the top of the table I can see that everything has been put back to normal. There are no stray objects lying about anywhere and no remains of the glass that was shattered. Anakin obviously cleaned everything up since he is sitting on the sofa looking smug.

"You're finally out from under the table," He says, grinning. "Bravo."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah." I mumble, moving to sit on the sofa beside him. "What are we going to do now?"

Anakin thinks for a moment. "I think that _you_ should go and get some sleep," He suggests to my disappointment. "You haven't been getting much of it, you know how I know, and you need to at least rest. Try out your datapad, there might be some more stuff on it now that it has a conscious."

Smiling, I nod. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."


	13. Package, Day Ten, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Package, Day Ten, Ahsoka Tano**_

I'll admit that when someone started shaking me awake, _again_, my first thought was to use the force to shove them through the door and lock it behind them. I was having the most wonderful dream, about floating lights and a beautiful meadow where I was sat staring at the clear sky; I don't think I've ever had such a peaceful dream. My dreams usually involve pain and fire and someone getting hurt, these are the dreams that everyone is having because of the war - but the dream that I just had was much more pleasant than watching anyone get slaughtered by droids.

"Ahsoka! Wake up!"

With a groan, I open my eyes to look at whoever is shaking me awake and am surprised to find that it is Katooni. She has never woken me up before. Katooni isn't the kind of youngling who doesn't give a damn about personal space and whether you were sleeping or not, this must be important. I stifle a yawn behind my hand and sit up slowly, so as not to make myself dizzy. On many occasions I would either sit or stand up too fast and end up nearly falling down because of the dizziness that accompanies it.

"I'm up," I mumble, rubbing my tired eyes. "What is it?"

"We have to go and get the packages with the briefs and intel on what we're going to have to do in the competition," Katooni explains.

"I thought we already knew that?" I remember, standing up anyway.

Katooni rolls her eyes and grabs my hand before pulling me out of my room, I seem to be getting hauled around a lot these days. Before we leave, I use the force to summon my datapad to me and stuff it into my pocket when Katooni lets go of my hand. I wouldn't half mind all of the hassle for the competition if it was at a later time in the day but the fact that there is hardly anyone about shows me that it is before the time when even the Jedi masters get up. However, since I went to sleep at three o'clock yesterday, I'm not actually that tired, just a bit annoyed; I really need to stop falling asleep in my day wear.

I notice for the first time that the parts of Coruscant that I can see through each window that we pass are not as vibant and busy as they usually are at this hour, the traffic never ends. The war is really having an effect on everything and, if I weren't so caught up in the upcoming competition, I would have most likely noticed all of this much, much earlier. Not for the first time, I wonder if there will ever be an end to the conflict in the galaxy. There always seems to be so much of it and even with the Jedi out trying to stop it there doesn't seem to be a difference, whoever invented the sith should be burning in hell for all eternity if you ask me.

The walk through the corridors is mainly silent since I am still waking up and I cannot seem to sense anything about what Katooni was talking about, it must be due to drowsiness. When we finally do reach our destination I am surprised to see that the rest of my class - including Slimo this time - are already waiting and I go immediately to stand beside Barris. There is already an excited murmur of chatter, which I don't see that point off, and I look at Barris.

"When did you get here?" I ask. "I only woke up a few minutes ago."

"Our mentors were told about this yesterday," Barris informs me, frowning. "Katooni went to go and get you when you didn't show up. Did you forget?"

I silently thank Master Kenobi for teaching me how to keep a straight face. "I forgot to set my alarm," I lie easily. "Maybe it's because I was asleep for more than twelve hours -"

"Wait, Ahsoka. How long _were_ you asleep exactly?" Barris cuts across me.

"Um, what time is it now?" I ask.

"Four-thirty."

"Thirteen and a half hours," I conclude. "Give or take five minutes."

Barris gives me a serious look. "You went to sleep at three in the afternoon?" She asks me. I nod. "Ahsoka, you're not ill again are you?"

"No," I say. "I went to sleep to get better and I feel fine now. Well, apart from the odd thing once every few hours but it's not that bad."

I know at once that Barris is still concerned about me and probably doesn't believe me but that's one of the last things on my mind. If everyone's mentors were told about the meeting this morning then someone must have seen that there was no mentor listed beside my name, they'll think I don't have one. More to the point, if I don't have a mentor - in their minds - then I'll have the least chance of winning the competition, so what are they going to say if I do? I'd never thought that keeping me visiting Anakin a secret would be so hard, things just keep popping up that can cause suspicion.

Slowly, and after a few minutes of Barris watching me like a hawk, the door to the room that we are supposed to be entering opens. I deliberately avoid eye contact with everyone and anyone who is nearby because I have no idea what to expect from inside except from the knowledge that there is a package inside; this might be a very fatal flaw in my chances of winning, not that I want to. True, I want to build my lightsaber as soon as possible but if I win the competition then it will cause loads of questions which I just don't have the answer to right now.

We all walk inside in an orderly fashion - as we always have to - into the room and I decide that I really do not like competitions. There are folders with presumably all of the data that you need for the competition - which we could have done with a week ago at least - and it's obvious that we have to stay in the room for a while because of the seats that have been set up. Actually, this is more of an entrance to the temple than anything else. On one side there is a ledge and then the room is open to the morning of Coruscant. This should be a very interesting day.

"Welcome, younglings." Master Yoda says in formal greeting. "Rules there are, for the competition." I swear there has never been a tenser moment in the history of my class and we've been in some pretty tight situations. "Take into the competition you may, a datapad." I do not dare to believe what I have just heard, did he just say that? We can bring in datapads? "A free-for-all, it is. Attack anyone, you may. Now, your package you must collect and remain in this room to read them before seeking the aid of your mentors."

I know for a fact that every member of my class is happy. Having a datapad for help will be a massive way to survive, but on the downside you can't use them to contact people. Still, they will be a great way to help identify different things and solve puzzles, not to mention how the Jedi masters will be able to monitor our movements, which must be why they're doing it. Not only can the Jedi masters supervising see everything that we are doing but they will remove people who have been stunned or injured. Well, at least no one is going to die now.

Calmly, as calmly as I can right now, I follow the other members of my class and pick up the folder that has my name on it. Naturally, I watch Barris as she sits on one of the benches near the exposed section of the room. She is obviously as confused about having a folder to explain everything as I am but happy about being allowed a datapad aswell. I don't exactly find an indoor environment calming and, instead, I move to sit on the ledge outside which is not that high up but just enough so that my feet are a few feet above the ground.

Preventing myself from yawning - I really need to get used to being woken up early - I open the folder and roll my eyes at the wad of files inside. What do they expect us to do? Sift through them until we find the ones with any decent information on them? I smirk and pull my datapad out of my pocket. Luckily, I have a device that can help me find what I need. However, I have no idea what to do to get it to work or give me any advice.

The moment I pick up a piece of data my datapad buzzes quiet enough so that only I can hear and I look down at it and smile. _"That's the rule page. Go to page 24, that's where it explains about the creatures that you will be fighting."_

Following the advise of my datapad, something that I'm positive will make me go mad one day, I flick through the page numbers until I find page twenty-four and my eyes widen at the holograms of terrifying creatures that must be the magma things Anakin told me about. I know that it's a little stupid to be terrified of the things that I've been learning about but they're made of magma, where do they even find these things?

_"They are delivered from native planets in the outer rim." _More writing on my datapad explains.

I roll my eyes.

A thought reading datapad.

Oh joy.

I read through the entire page and am relieved to know that there aren't many chances of death - though forty percent isn't exactly a number I would refer to as meaning safe - but each creature in the area where we try to get the HoloFlag will give it their best shot. Serious burns and injuries are the minimal expected things and the thought makes me cringe slightly, if only Anakin were allowed to heal me afterwards, then I wouldn't have to sit in a medical ward for a few days which, force knows, I'll obviously be doing.

Carefully, I put the pieces of data back in the folder and focus entirely on my datapad, which is sitting in my lap. I have to stay in this room, or the part of it that I'm in now, for a few more hours and I'm not sure I can survive. Frowning, I have an idea, I open up the entertainment part of my datapad and cannot help but smile when I see the different applications already installed. Maybe having a datapad with a conscious won't be too bad, I open up the common chess app, now I have something more experienced than a computer to play against.

* * *

Fifteen loses.

Against a datapad.

_Fifteen._

I am really bad at chess, that much has become clear in the few hours that I have been playing and losing. On the bright side, there are no objects flying at my head so I don't have to worry about being knocked off of the ledge by anything. I wouldn't mind losing if my datapad wouldn't display a boasting message afterwards and make me glare at the screen, meaning that I would play again. Not this time, I've had enough of being pushed around by a machine and it might do me some good to do something else or have an actual person talk to me.

Most people have left by now, to go and find their mentors and other things, but there is still Barris and Pedro left - this doesn't surprise me at all. They always overwork things, it's just because I was so drawn into my game that I am still here, and I can remember many occasions when I have told them to live a little; when I give them advice it doesn't tend to go too well since they then remind me that I'm friends with the twins and need to get my head out of the clouds. These conversations tend to result in me either arguing with them - this tends to happen with Pedro more than with Barris - and not speaking to them for at least two days.

Sighing - and ignoring the buzzing, taunting datapad in my hands - I get off of the ledge and depart the room without a word; for some reason I don't have the energy to even speak to either of them and I honestly don't care why that is. I was woken up early in the morning so there is no need for me to bother asking why I am so tired.

I automatically head for the mess hall but stop still when I see two Jedi healers escorting a stretcher with a youngling on it. More specifically, the youngling is Liam - one of the members of my class. What could have happened to him? On his face are terrible boils and pimples that I know were not there before, things that cannot just appear after an hour or so. There is a crowd of younglings around the stretcher and in a matter of moments Master Yoda has appeared at my side; when his eyes make contact with Liam he immediately walks towards him. Maybe now I can understand what has happened.

"Happened, what has?" Master Yoda asks at once.

"We are not sure, Master Yoda." One of the healers says. "However, we did find him in one of the corridors beside the west tower and the window beside him was broken."

Everyone, except for a few smart ones of which I am, gasps and begins to mutter. If he was attacked in the temple then it stands to reason that the attacker could still be here and that is a cause for concern, obviously. It is no surprise when Master Yoda looks away from Liam, apparently figuring something out. When he turns to look at me _that_ is a surprise.

"To your rooms, you all must go." He says to everyone, but his eyes linger on me for a few more moments before looking around. "At once."


	14. A Week Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**A Week Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**_

The past week has been hell, for more than just me. Half of my class has been put into the medical ward because of an attack or incident or whatever the council decides to call it. All of these attacks only have one consistency, they're all from my class and that's it. Therefore, everyone who has not been attacked yet in my class has become a suspect, including me. The council were going to question me about what I knew - believe me, it was tense - but then a strange thing happened where a window was broken right beside me and that qualifies as an attack, so I'm off the hook. I don't know if they're right or not, there are so many protesters outside who could have done it, but Anakin has not been off of my back ever since it happened.

Anakin has taught me how to play chess like a pro, which is gratifying since I'm quite tired of being beaten by my datapad, and made me revise literally every strategy possible. Number one, take everyone on and get myself killed - we decided against that for a very obvious reason. Number two, stick to the shadows and stay out of people's way until most of them are gone - at this rate I'll be up against one person. Number three, run as far as I can and go from there. These strategies are the ones that I was told to consider but something tells me I won't be using any of them. I just... won't.

There's one thing that has been really bothering be throughout the past week. I have this strange feeling that I'm about to burst and it has been getting worse and worse as each day goes by. Anakin fixes it every time, but it always comes back and I don't know why - neither does he. To make matters worse, everyone now sees me as this all powerful force knows what. It happened after I recited all of the elements on the periodic table without fail and escalated to the point where I have ascended to the rank of geek. Plus, I'm always asked about what happened in the vents a week ago and I always give the same answer: go away. None of the Jedi knights or masters have asked me about it so I'm fairly happy.

However, due to the weird feeling that I'm regularly experiencing I tend to spend most of my time walking around and letting off some steam, as Anakin put it. I am thinking about how best to prove to Anakin that I don't need any more training about strategies when I catch sight of Slimo walking by. There is a glass in his hand that makes me frown, since when did he carry around glasses of squash?

"Tano," He greets, stopping in front of me so that I can't go any further. "Here, have some. I got it from the food replicator in the padawans kitchen."

Alarms go off in the back of my head and my conscience is practically screaming at me, I have never seen him act so nice and it is more than a little suspicious. Anakin taught me never to trust someone who's personality I know to be the opposite of what they're being right now, this fits the bill.

"No thanks," I say, trying to get around him and failing. "I'm not thirsty."

Slimo sighs in exasperation. "Look, I really don't want this so you can either drink it or have me pour it on your head."

I arch both eyemarks, did he just try to intimidate me? Without warning he thrusts the glass into my hand and stands completely still, arms crossed over his chest. I really want to punch this guy, but that would get me into trouble. Maybe they won't realise its me if I use the force? Sighing, I try to sense if there is anything wrong with the stuff in the glass - it comes back with the all clear and I shrug my shoulders and try to take a sip to see if its safe. I miss the glimmer of triumph in Slimo's eyes but I definitely do not miss what comes next.

Of its own accord, I am not lying, the glass flies out of my hand and smashes on the floor beside the wall. The squash that was inside of it begins to sizzle and evaporate into the air and that's when I smell it, a sort of metallic thing. Anakin prepared me for anything, and I mean _anything_, so not knowing what that was is a little unsettling. I look back at Slimo in confusion, who is looking from the shattered remains and back to me like I am mad.

"You're insane," He mutters, backing away slightly and glaring at me. "Winning this competition will be easier than taking candy from a baby with you in it." He snaps at me before turning around and walking away, leaving me glaring after him.

I stick my tongue out at his back before continuing down the corridor once he has disappeared. It's just past eight o'clock and, since it's monday, Anakin will probably have something for me to do. Be it chess or learning more about my upcoming competition I just want to find something to occupy my time – I can't help but feel bored whenever I'm not doing anything that doesn't involve having Anakin for company. Now that there are so many people in my class being put into the medical ward it has become really hard for me to disappear. The twins are like my elite bodyguards and Master Plo has been checking up on me every morning and night, one time when I got back late he gave me one of his famous lectures on 'danger'. It was more boring than learning the names of each individual type of grass, _that_ was boring enough to kill me.

I climb into the vents without a thought of what happened with Slimo. Anakin told me never to over think things and that it would just make me upset; I agreed that this was the best idea. A glass that literally flies out of my hand, obviously Slimo's idea of a joke. The thought crosses my mind for a moment that he might be responsible for what has happened to half of my class, but they're his class mates too so he wouldn't do it. No Jedi would do something so awful.

Reaching Anakin's room easily – I have perfected the route here now – I knock on the door and wait for it to open. It doesn't take more than a few seconds for Anakin to open the door and let me inside.

"You seem confused about something," Anakin observes as we walk into the lounge. "Is everything all right?"

"Everythings fine," I reply. "It's just... something really weird happened in the corridor after Slimo tried to give me a drink."

Anakin archs both eyebrows. "The worst kid in your class gave you a drink and you took it?" He sighs. "Okay, what happened?"

"Well, I was going to take a sip after I sensed that there was nothing wrong with it but the glass, sort of, flew out of my hand and smashed against the wall." I explain.

Frowning, Anakin regards me silently for a moment. "It flew out of your hand?" He repeated; I nod. Anakin is silent for a few more moments. "Then there must have been something wrong with it," He says finally. "Don't worry about it. Let's play a game, I know how you can never get things like that off of your mind."

"But... why did it happen?" I ask.

Anakin chuckles and shakes his head. "See what I mean?" He asks; I narrow my eyes in response. "Okay, pick a game, any game."

I frown and avert my eyes whilst I think of which game I would like to play. "Scrabble?"

"Scrabble?" Anakin repeats. "All right, whatever floats your boat. Sit down, I'll be back in a minute."

Complying, I sit on the sofa and wait for Anakin to return. It's obvious that he dislikes playing _normal _games but he did ask me so he'll just have to live with it. Most of the games that Anakin likes playing are either force sensitive or involve one of us getting hurt – since he is far more experienced than me I usually end up as the one who is hurt. Anakin's favourite game – given the limitations of the suite he has been imprisoned in – is called 'block'. You have to hide from the person who is on and get to a certain place and say 'safe one, two, three' before they get there and say 'block one, two, three' or you're out.

I always lose because he can sense where I am and is much faster – he calls it 'practice' for learning how to hide my force presence but I don't see how I can hide my force presence from a force wielder.

Anakin returns to the room, obviously still upset about such a boring game, and sits beside me. I don't see how this will be playing by the rules since he can see my tiles but we can both sense the letters anyway so I suppose it doesn't really make much of a difference. As we set up the board Anakin lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Are you sure you don't want to do anything more fun?" He asks.

"This is fun," I protest. "Much better than being beaten by you at every other game we play."

Anakin rolls his eyes. "You can't expect to win when you first play something."

"Says you," I say. "You can't stand losing."

Anakin doesn't dignify my statement with a response and deliberately makes the first move. It is my turn to roll my eyes and we play the game in silence for a few minutes until, finally, Anakin's patience snaps and he stands up.

"I can't play this," He says. "Let's play block."

I groan. "But there's hardly anywhere to hide," I protest. "And you're much faster than I am."

"Go and hide."

Sighing, I stand up and run into another room. The lounge is basically the centre of the entire suite so I have to choose where I hide carefully. I am moving towards the lone chair in the room when I stop and turn to look at a bookcase. There aren't any of the holographic books so I know that Anakin must have asked for actual books to be put there. Hearing Anakin counting in the lounge, I walk towards the bookcase and take out several of the books. There is a space between it and the wall that I could easily hide in, so I do. Hastily placing the books back where I found them, I crouch down into the small space and look out through the small gaps between the books and the shelves that they sit on.

The moment he finishes counting, Anakin walks into the room and I try my hardest to keep my force presence hidden from him. With a knowing smile, he walks towards the bookcase. It is obvious that he can sense me, because he is a force wielder, but he prefers to actually find me before rushing off and getting me out. He pulls away some of the books and I smile nervously at him. However, before either of us can do a thing someone knocks on the door.

With a flick of his wrist, Anakin puts the books back in place without a word to me and walks off. I groan inwardly; I am going to be in so much trouble. Pressing closer to the bookcase, or as close as I can without making it wobble, I can just about make out the voices of the people who are coming into Anakin's room.

"...ask you about something?"

"All right, go ahead." Anakin replies.

"Recently there was an attack on Alderaan and the separatist forces were led by a cloaked figure who we could sense was extremely powerful in the dark side." The voice of Master Windu explains. "He killed two Jedi knights and did so in an unusual way."

"What do you mean?" Anakin asks.

"Black smoke."

"Black...?" Anakin trails off and I can tell that he has just realised something. "Force wielder." He says.

"The attacker was a force wielder?" Master Plo asks. Since when did he and Master Windu ask Anakin about things?

"A dark force wielder," Anakin explains. "I could sense that he was in the galaxy but not where."

"How do we stop him?" Master Windu questions.

"You can't," Anakin says. "Force wielders are immortal and the only way to kill one is for another force wielder to do it."

"You mean if you do it?"

"I never said I'd kill him," Anakin reminds them. "I don't kill people just because I'm asked too. Besides, from what I can tell, he's not really that powerful."

"He may not seem that to you but to us he is very powerful," Master Plo says. "We need to stop him if we are to win this war."

Anakin sighs. "I won't attack a fellow force wielder without a good reason. The best I can do is promise you that if I sense him I'll tell you and if I see him I'll talk to him. I would be able to do more but I'm sort of imprisoned here, if you remember."

"What would it take for you to help us find him?" Master Windu asks.

"A reason," Anakin replies. "Goodbye."

The sound of the door closing and locking makes me smile; Anakin has locked them both out. But I can't help but shake the feeling that something should be done – I mean, two Jedi knights were killed on Alderaan and a dark force wielder is running around the galaxy with enough power to kill every Jedi, maybe Anakin should help them out. Clambering out from behind the bookcase, careful not to knock anything over, I walk into the lounge just as Anakin returns from the entrance way. He doesn't look the slightest bit worried.

"You should help them," I say.

Anakin sighs. "I can't." He replies, sitting on the sofa.

"But... why?" I ask, sitting beside him. "Surely you can do something better than telling them if you sense him?"

"No, I can't. It's not allowed."

I frown. That was not the answer I was expecting. "What do you mean 'it's not allowed'?"

"Ahsoka," Anakin turns to look at me fully. "Force wielders have not killed other force wielders for a hundred years now. It is literally against the law to kill unless your opponent does something that is grounds for you to kill them or to defend yourself."

I arch both eye marks. "You... you're not allowed to kill him? But surely you are allowed, he's killed two Jedi and all of the republic forces on Alderaan. How is that not grounds for you to attack him?"

"Remind me to get you a book on force wielder law sometime," Anakin comments. "Let's not worry about it. I'll get us some lunch."

Watching him go into the kitchenette - I know it is a sort of retreat - I wonder why a law like that was made. A hundred years of peace, that's something which the galaxy could use, would mean that a few lessons had been learned wouldn't it? If a law like that was passed in the republic then we'd have to wait for an entire planet to be invaded before being able to go and fight against the separatists. Sighing, I sink low on the couch. If the dark force wielder is helping the separatists then the war for the republic is surely lost but if Anakin was helping -

I shake my head thoroughly. Anakin obeys the laws from wherever it is he comes from, this other force wielder clearly does not. A smile creeps onto my face when I realise that the council had actually come to the decision to ask Anakin for help, maybe they could come to the decision to let him go - even if it does take forever for them to decide. When Anakin walks back into the room I cannot sense a thing from him, meaning that he has put up those firm barriers around his mind again. I hate it when he does that, I never know what's going on in his head.

"What are we going to do after lunch?" I ask, taking the plate of food that Anakin has handed to me.

Anakin sits down beside me. "Excercise." He answers simply.

I frown and turn my head to look at him. "What do you mean 'excercise'?"

* * *

I need to stop listening to Anakin.

I really do.

There is no one else in the galaxy like Anakin and for that I am glad. It is sometime late in the evening now, I am far too tired to see what time it is, and all of the training that Master Yoda makes me do put together does not even come close to how much Anakin managed to pack into one day. When he finally said I could stop I sat right on the floor and laid down, which is where I am now. I can hear my pulse and heart beat and my mouth has a stale taste, sweat is dripping down my face and I have been laying here for almost five minutes now, if anything like this is ever suggested again I will make Anakin's life a living hell.

My head is resting on a cushion, at least Anakin isn't completely ruthless, and there is a glass of water on the coffee table for me. Exhausted doesn't cover how I feel but I can tell how amused Anakin is by the whole thing, he's been sat watching me try to regain my breath from the sofa ever since I first collapsed - almost.

"Shut up," I grumble as he smiles in amusement. "This is all your fault."

Anakin chuckles. "I expected a Jedi to be able to handle that sort of thing." He says with a wider smile.

"Jedi masters, maybe," I reply. "But younglings can't do things like that, nowhere near it."

"I think you managed quite well."

"It nearly killed me,"

"Figuratively speaking." Anakin comments. "You should have a drink."

"I can't move my arms," I say truthfully.

Anakin chuckles, again, and I shoot him a glare. "If you think this is bad you should see what it's like to do it once every two days."

I frown when I look back at him. What on earth is he talking about now? Probably something about his past that I will never understand unless he tells me everything, Anakin has a way of making me more confused than I've ever been and I'm including all of those strange things that Master Yoda has said to me. Sometimes I wonder if Master Yoda is that confusing on purpose, he probably tries not to be, but with Anakin I know that he likes confusing me. It's amusing to him and gives me the urge to slug him in the gut - even force wielders can get hit at some point in their lives.

Sucking in a deep breath, I push myself into a seating position and regret it instantly. My vision turns blurry and my arms and legs start to feel like lead, which is concerning since my weight if being supported by my arms. Anakin frowns and moves over to me - maybe he actually regrets making me do excercise. Unfortunately, he simple heals me so that I can see and pulls me to my feet. Still my legs feel heavy and I sit on the couch - collapse would be a better word for it actually.

"Do you want to go back to your room and get some sleep?" Anakin asks.

I nod my head sleepily. "Unless you want me to fall asleep in here."

Anakin chuckles. "Come on, Snips. The sooner you get to your room the sooner you can fall asleep."


	15. Six Days Left, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Six days Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**_

I wake up slowly, for once the alarm is not doing its job well. Groaning, I am about to lift my hand to switch it off when the beeping stops. My eyes are still half closed so I can only lift my head slightly to see who has turned it off now – the only difficulty is that there is no one standing in my room. Of it's own accord, my head drops back to the pillow as my eyes sleepily travel the length of the room and back again. I am certain that there is no one else in the room and my tired mind is only too happy to allow me to drift back into sleep with this knowledge. Unfortunatley, I find myself only drifting on the edges of sleep since I can never seem to sit still; right now I wish that there was a way I could go back to sleep, without having anyone walk in and wake me.

My energy after yesterday is at rock bottom so Anakin will be lucky if I make it to his before nine and, if I fall asleep, I might not even show up until after ten. Yawning, I shift into a more comfortable position on my bed and close my eyes. There's only one problem for me when I wake up at a time near when I usually do and that is I can't get back to sleep afterwards. It's infuriating and annoying, leaving me tired every day that I wake up at some time in the middle of the night. I pull the covers tighter around myself when a cold shiver runs up my spine and causes my entire body to shiver; the cold is something that I really don't like. Wrapping myself up tight, I snuggle into my pillow and let myself sigh in pleasure. Sleep is one of natures greatest miracles, there is no doubt about that in my mind.

I am warm and comfortable until the door to my room opens, light flooding into my room and making me groan; all I'm asking for is one day when I don't have someone walk into my room, after all, it is a Saturday. I can hear the amused chuckles of the person who has entered the room and know that it is Master Plo, checking up on me as he has ever since members of my class were targeted.

"You cannot stay in bed all day, little one." He says with amusement. "Although, you do look rather comfortable."

I open my eyes sleepily and look up at him. Of all the times for someone to interrupt me, why couldn't it be some time when I was doing something other than sleeping? "It _is_ a Saturday," I point out. "Can't I stay in bed for a little longer?"

"Did you tire yourself out yesterday?" Master Plo asks.

"Yes," I say. "Though I'd rather not have done." I add quietly, even though he probably heard me.

"Preparing for a competition as important as yours is taxing, Ahsoka. I'm sure there are many people in your class who wish they could stay in bed." Master Plo reminds me.

I groan in annoyance, knowing that he is right. But, surely, he can't expect me to believe that none of them have slept in for a little bit longer than usual? "Haven't any of them slept in?" I ask.

"As far as I know they have been unable to because of their alarm clocks," Master Plo says. "Speaking of which, why hasn't yours gone off again?"

I lift my head slightly to look at my alarm clock and see that, for an odd reason, the alarm setting has been turned off. Of course, when there's only one person sleeping in one room with one alarm clock there is an obvious way to see who's going to get the blame for something that happens.

"You turned off the alarm setting," Master Plo states with a hint of disbelief, though I'm not sure why. "Only Jedi masters have the code to do that."

I frown. Is he serious? They really must take the time that people get up seriously if they only give the code to Jedi masters. I could have sworn that they had more important things to do, like fighting a war for one. Rubbing my tired eyes, I sit up and dangle my legs over the side of my bed.

"I didn't do it," I say honestly. "It just turned off a few seconds after it woke me up."

Master Plo sighs, thankfully he seems to have an idea of how it happened in his head. "You must have used the force to do it," He reasons. "It has happened before. Well, make sure you get up. I will know if you've gone back to sleep." With that, I think it was a type of warning, Master Plo departs my room and I have to resist the urge to just flop down on the bed and go right back to sleep. For some reason whenever I wake up I want to stay awake, but then if someone comes in and tells me to get up I want to go back to sleep. Maybe it's a kid thing, I don't know.

Sighing, though it is sort of a groan and a sigh, I stand up and have to put my hand out to steady myself when the room seems to spin and my vision goes blurry. Just as soon as my vision goes blurry, it comes back again but my head feels suddenly hot and I feel slightly drowsy. Shrugging it off, I walk into the 'fresher and get changed somewhat slowly due to the fact that I remain feeling light-headed. No matter, Anakin can heal me, he always does even if there's only a small thing wrong with me.

After getting changed and brushing my teeth, I walk back into the main part of my room and sit back down on the bed. There doesn't really seem to be much to motivate me today because I am so exhausted, but if I don't go about my usual business Master Plo will give me a lecture and so on. Sucking in a deep breath, I stand up and groan when the same dizziness and blurry vision returns. Maybe there is something wrong with me.

Pacing my steps carefully, I don't want to faint in the corridor, I walk out of my door and let the door close automatically behind me. There are already loads of Jedi about so I know that I must have slept in for a minimum of five minutes – at least, I tried to sleep – and I have not taken two steps when I am practically jumped on from behind. Now, there are only three people I know who would do that and Anakin is imprisoned in his suite so it can only be the other two people.

I am unsurprised when I turn my head to see the twins with mischievous smiles on their faces, I sometimes wish that if they keep smiling like that the wind will change and they'll be stuck like it; they're always smiling like that so it wouldn't really make much difference. It is surprisingly hard to know when they are up to something because they are always chirpy and happy, you can only find out if you know them as well as I do.

"Mornin' 'Soka," They sing happily. "Wow, you look really tired."

I roll my eyes and sigh. "I am. Yesterday was more like running all the way across Coruscant ten times. Why do I get the feeling that you did something?" I have no idea why I said that. They're _always_ doing something and if it isn't getting into trouble it's getting other people into trouble; force I hope they didn't do anything like breaking the water valve again.

"Nothing much," Kay says casually. "Just painted Master Windu's room pink."

My eyes widen. "You did... what?" I ask in total disbelief, this is just pushing it, even for them. "He's going to kill you."

"Not if we don't stick around he won't. Let's go to the mess." Jay advises.

I cannot say that I argue with the suggestion, if it even is one, and we fall into step side by side one another as we walk. This time I have a feeling that they might have gone too far. I mean, this is Master Windu. He's the second strictest Jedi in the temple and I could have sworn I saw him trying to stop a celebration a few years ago for the chancellor's birthday; the man just hates fun and everything to do with it. There will probably be a wake up call for him at some point in the future, unless he's doomed to be strict for the rest of his days.

"So, any ideas on what to do today?" Kay asks. "I mean, you're not planning on sitting in that same spot just watching the world go by, are you?"

I almost tell him that I have much more important things to do but quickly decide against it. "Sometimes watching the world go by is interesting," I say reasonably. "Plus, it's peaceful."

"Since when do you like anything peaceful?" Jay questions, arching an eyebrow. I cannot help but notice that most people from Correlia are getting into trouble.

"Since I got a massive headache," I lie. My stomach grumbles just after the comment. This is new, I've never been hungry this early in the morning before.

"You seem hungry today," Kay comments. "Yesterday must have really cleared you out."

I resist the urge to nod my head with an expression that will convey my total agreement. "Cleared out, worn out..." I stifle a yawn behind my hand. "Shattered." I agree. "You don't seem to have done anything to wear you out."

They shrug their shoulders. "We just had a boring day honing our force abilities, nothing too exciting. Then again, I suppose that's the most exciting thing around here nowadays."

My lips twitch slightly, if only they knew... We reach the mess hall with both the twins locked in a hefty argument about which speeder is the best in the republic. I ignore the urge to tell them my opinion, since I knew nothing about speeders until Anakin taught me, and retrieve my breakfast from the counter. For an odd reason, the droid behind the counter spends a few moments looking at my face and then gives me almost double the usual amount of breakfast. When I sit down I frown and begin to wonder why it gave me this much, maybe it has a malfunction or something.

The twins join me and spend long moments staring at my plate. "Force..." Jay comments. "Even the droid must have known you were ill."

I furrow my brow. "What?" I ask stupidly. They must have hit their heads or something, if I was ill then I would certainly feel it - or Anakin would have healed me.

"You look ill," Kay says simply, taking a bite out of his toast. "Didn't you know? You're pale."

"Yeah, but not that really sickly kind of pale that lets people know that there is something really wrong with you," Jay adds when I open my mouth to talk. "You just need to eat something. We can sense it."

There's no arguing with that. I start to eat my breakfast and start to grow a little uneasy when a few fellow younglings give me a concerned look as they pass. Not all of them do, but enough to let me know that I should ask Anakin to make sure I'm all right. I eat quicker than I usually would, probably due to hunger, and have just about finished when I sense someone who is very frustrated approaching.

Lots of people frown and look to the door, the twins included, but I simply down the contents of my drink. Suddenly, the twins hang their heads low and seem to get closer and closer to their breakfasts. That's when I hear footsteps headed in our direction and I realise who it is.

Master Windu.

He's not happy.

The footsteps stop abruptly directly beside our table and the three of us look up to see Master Windu standing there, his arms crossed over his chest and his expression pure steel. The twins are going to be in so much trouble.

"Who did it?" Master Windu demands at once. "I know that it was you two so you might as well admit it." He adds to the twins, ignoring me.

The twins do not answer and simply stare at their food with expressionless faces.

Master Windu sighs in exasperation. "That's it," He says in all seriousness. "You've both had many chances but this is the final straw. You're both going to be expelled."

The entire room goes silent and I can feel the twins' fear and regret coming off of them in waves. I knew that Master Windu would not be happy, but I never imagined for a moment that he would take it this seriously. Of course, there is a way that neither of them will be expelled, though it might cause some other problems. But what can I say? I owe Jay one.

"I did it." I say unexpectedly; Master Windu looks at me in shock and then disappointment.

"You did, did you?" He asks, his tone laced with warning. "And what exactly is it that you did?"

I swallow. The man is giving me look a hundred times worse than Master Yoda ever could. "I painted your room pink." I reply, making several amounts of amusement come off of the other younglings in the room before they carefully stop their emotions from flowing.

Master Windu narrows his eyes and me and jerks his head towards the door. Not needing an explanation, I stand and head for it, my head somewhere in between being held high and being held low. The twins are looking at me with utter shock but Master Windu does not seem to care as he follows me out. What the twins think doesn't matter, I owe them – this might be taking it a little extreme though.

Naturally, Master Windu takes the lead and I follow behind him, careful not to meet the gaze of anyone else that we pass. They know that I am in trouble, of course, but considering that I know I haven't done anything wrong I don't really care about their disapproving emotions. I'm not going to tell anyone that I took the blame for the twins, except maybe Barris and Katooni, but the knowledge that I didn't do anything wrong is enough to keep me just as bright as ever. After all, the things you do for your friends are the best things you'll ever do.

We turn a corner and the entire walk is in silence until we reach Master Windu's quarters and he silently orders me inside whilst he keeps the door open. I stop and gape at his quarters. The other, adjoining rooms are covered in a thin, pink paint colour but the main room is painted with what is obviously thick paint that is designed never to come off. Why do I have the feeling that my day is about to become much worse than I thought it would be?

Master Windu enters the room and the door closes automatically behind him. Beside on of the walls is a cloth and bucket of water. My eyes widen. Surely he doesn't expect me to...?

"I assume you know what your punishment will be," He states matter-of-factly. "I would cancel any of your plans for the weekend if I were you. You have to clean up the mess you made and I can't imagine that cleaning the ceiling will be an easy task."

"Ceiling?" I repeat quietly, looking up and repressing a groan of annoyance. Of all the thick-headed, stupid, arrogant, reckless...

Not only has the ceiling been painted, but the floor as well. This is going to take me forever and I know that there is every possibility that it will take some of the time in the week days for me to wash the paint off of everything. The sound of the door opening shakes me out of my musings and I turn my head to look at Master Windu. He has a smug aura around him that makes me automatically think of a million ways to get rid of his smugness.

"I suggest you get started," He says, turning to leave. "And my droid will be at the door to stop you from trying to leave."

The moment the door closes behind him I groan and put my head in my hands. This has to be the worst decision I've ever made. Not only that, but now I won't be able to go and see Anakin for the rest of the weekend and possibly Monday too. He isn't going to be happy, that much is clear, and I will have to explain to him and then I'll have to spend an entire day revising and then come close to passing out. On the bright side, at least the twins aren't going to be expelled from the Jedi order.

Sighing, I let my hands fall to my sides and walk over to the clothe and bucket of water. He doesn't expect me to do this by hand, does he? Realising that this is exactly what he wants me to do, I groan and pick up the clothe. Maybe I can get the paint off quickly and then go to Anakin later on? This might not take so long. I wet the clothe and try to scrub the paint off the wall, except it hardly does anything to it. The best that happens is the paint moves by about half a millimetre.

My mouth falls open slightly in a mixture of annoyance and disbelief, I really need to ask the twins were they get this stuff, and I glance at the door before starting to scrub, this time with a little more pressure. I feel like some kind of servant in some ways – in other ways I think that this is just a legal way of enforcing child labour – and I do not make any complaints out loud because there is no one to listen. It takes a minute before any kind of change occurs and even then it is only a small area that has dimmed slightly and I have to put most of my energy into it. A plan to find a way to get my payback on Master Windu begins to form in my mind, except I stop thinking about it when I realise that I would only end up in a situation like this again.

Gritting my teeth, I work hard to get the paint off of the wall. It is so much harder than any lightsaber technique or force training because of the fact that this is designed never to come off, especially not to something as simple as a clothe and bucket of water. In my frustration, I pick up the bucket of water and throw it's contents at the wall. The paint seems to come off a little easier so I refill the bucket and repeat my earlier actions. Of all the days for the twins to do something this foolish, it had to be a Saturday. I stand on a table to reach the top of the wall. When this is over I will be very happy.

* * *

Foolhardy.

That's how I'll think of the twins from now on. The most stupidest people on the face of Coruscant, and possibly the rest of the galaxy too. I've cleaned every room so far and resorted to hanging off light fixtures so that I could clean the ceilings. The floors were probably the easiest part and I am just finishing up on the one in the lounge right now. I am absolutely shattered. The chrono says that it is two o'clock in the morning and Master Windu hasn't even showed up once yet. Being awake for twenty-hours is not exactly a healthy thing and I finally understand why people think that we should only be awake for twelve hours of the day and asleep for the other twelve. At least then I would have enough energy to get this done.

Yawning and not bothering to stifle it, I scrub the last few splurges of paint on the floor as hard as I can. When I get out of this the first thing I am going to do is go to my room and go to sleep. I honestly don't care if it's only for four hours, I haven't had anything to eat or drink and I haven't so much as sat down on anything comfortable or had a break. All in all? There should be a law to prevent me from feeling this completely defeated. I have to force my eyes to stay open and throw some more water onto the floor to help me get rid of the remainder of the paint. The force has not helped me to maintain my energy - for some reason I feel strangely cut off from it - and I know that my tiredness has something to do with it.

Once the last dot of paint has gone, I look around the floor with tired eyes to see if I missed anything. Luckily, I didn't and I fling the clothe lazily back into the bucket of water, which is barely full. The twins owe me big time for this. Standing on shaky legs, I walk over to the sofa and sit down. I actually intended to just go straight to my room and fall asleep but this time there is nothing I can do to prevent myself from just relaxing where I am. Yawning once more, I let my head fall down to the arm rest and my eyes close of their own accord. I just want to fall asleep forever and ever right now, the idea of eternal peace is something I welcome.

My ears start to ring and my head suddenly feels like lead upon my shoulders even though it is resting on the arm rest. I feel like I am a dead weight and I know that I will not be able to stay awake for much longer. Silently, I make a vow. The next time I help someone it will only be under very strict conditions. One; it will be a life or death situation, or something similar. Two; it has to mean something extremely important to me. Three; there has to be some kind of compensation in any form, just more than a simple 'thanks'.

Sighing, I relax completely and let myself drift off to sleep. However, just before I do, the door to Master Windu's quarters opens and someone walks in. I have no idea who it is since I am now half-asleep but I do catch a small part of what they say.

"...taking the blame."


	16. Five Days Left, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

**Five days Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**

I am woken by the sound of an alarm clock, probably mine, but I feel way too tired to get up. Unfortunately, as always, I don't really have a choice and I shift on my bed to sit up and turn it off, except the moment my eyes open slightly and I sit up I am pushed back onto the bed. Blinking and frowning, I open my eyes fully and look up to see Master Windu standing beside me.

Then I remember everything that happened yesterday and realise that I am still in Master Windu's quarters. He doesn't look tired, surprisingly, and I know that it is probably due to the fact that he got some rest somewhere besides his quarters whilst I was cleaning up. I am laying on his couch, the area where I fell asleep, and someone has gotten me a pillow and a blanket, which is wrapped tightly around me. Surprisingly, I am actually quite comfortable and I feel more tired than I have in a very long time, though the reason for that is obvious.

"Go back to sleep, little one." Master Windu says and I frown. When the alarm clock goes off every Jedi is supposed to get up. However, he takes the silence that follows as an answer and leaves afterwards. I cannot believe that I was just told to go straight back to sleep by the second strictest Jedi in the order even though there are very strict rules saying that I have to get up.

I can't say that I disagree with him, though, and no sooner has the door closed behind him than I have shut my eyes in an attempt to drift off to sleep once more. But, as was the case yesterday and many times before, I cannot go back to sleep once I have woken up and instead I simply lay there trying to rest in some form. Nothing good appears to be coming from me just laying there apart from my body starting to rapidly feel like dead weight. Sitting up, I stifle a yawn behind my hand. There's no point in me sitting around trying to sleep when I could be with Anakin; I didn't get to see him yesterday.

With what feels like most of my energy, I throw back the blanket, swing my legs over the side of the sofa and stand up. Everything goes blurry for a moment and I have to grab the arm rest to support myself before my vision becomes clear once more. I shake my head slightly, if that happens one more time I'm going to have to ask Anakin to heal me. Sighing, I stretch my arms out in front of me and then above my head, to release the tension that come's from sleeping on a couch instead of a bed, when I hear a strange noise from behind me.

Swiftly, I turn around to see what it is and my mouth hangs open, flabbergasted. There's nothing wrong, absolutely nothing, except for the fact that the blanket has been neatly folded and the pillow is now sitting on top of it in a presentable fashion. Blinking, I look around the room. Is there someone else here with me that Master Windu forgot to mention? I reach out through the force and frown when I come up empty handed. There's no one here but me... so how did the blanket get folded and the pillow placed on top of it?

Backing away slightly, I realise that in my tired state I might have done it when I stood up and not realised it – but this is difficult to believe since I can remember literally everything that has happened since I woke up. I rub my tired eyes, thinking that I may have imagined this, but the image remains of the folded blanket and pillow atop it. Stifling a yawn behind my hand, I put the bizarre situation out of my mind and turn with every intention of leaving when the door opens and the twins almost fall on their faces in their rush to get inside. Master Windu's droid is beeping comments about 'no running in the corridors' and such to them fluently as it fixes a broken wall panel.

"Your awake!" Kay says with glee before looking around. "And... wow, it really didn't take him long to fix this mess."

I pin them with glares. "It wasn't Master Windu, it was me. I had to clean the entire place _by hand_, last time I do anything for you."

"By hand?" Jay repeats with wide eyes. "No wonder you look so tired – you are _really_ pale."

Rolling my eyes, I knew since yesterday evening that I would look sickly after cleaning everything, I stifle another yawn behind my hand. "Tell me something I don't know," I comment. "Let's go and get some breakfast. I haven't eaten since yesterday morning."

"What? He didn't let you eat?"

"He didn't even come in. His droid was the only thing stopping me from leaving, that and the fact that I had to save your worthless hides," I add, reminding them that my annoyance will not be dissipating any time soon. To calm myself, I take a deep breath. "Let's just get out of these damnable quarters, okay?"

They both nod in agreement and the three of us walk out of the door. I smile when Master Windu's droid starts scolding the twins about their running a few moments earlier; I then remember that about half of the younglings in the temple – and a few padawans – have made it their lives wish to dismantle the droid bit by bit. This black and golden astromech is just as strict as Master Windu and about half as forgiving, meaning that your chances of being forgiven are next to nothing.

We hardly slow down as the droid beeps at us and I recognise all of the curses about the droid that the twins are making under their breath. Somehow I don't think that people would class Anakin as a good influence, due to the fact that I know just about every curse in the book thanks to him. As is the case every day, there are many other Jedi walking around going about their daily routine's. I doubt any of them will pay attention to us because of two things. One; we are not with any Jedi masters. Two; the war is demanding all of their attention.

"So, how was the punishment?" Kay asks me. "I mean, did he give you a lecture or...?"

I shake my head. "No. He just led me into his quarters and told me that I had to clean everything and that his droid wasn't about to let me leave until I'd finished." A thought occurs to me as I am looking at the twins' guilty expressions. "What happened after I took the blame?"

"Well, everyone sorta sat in silence for a while," Jay explained. "And then they started talking to each other about you 'taking things too far' and being kicked out of the order. When that happened another of your friends, Katooni I think her name is, walked up to us and demanded we tell her the truth, so we did. I tell you, we've never had so many people shouting at us in our lives. Getting someone kicked out of the order for something you've done will just about make you the number one enemy around here."

"We snuck up to Master Windu's quarters late in the night to explain to him that it wasn't your fault, so we told the droid instead. The door opened for us and we tried to go inside but we couldn't see you in the dark and the droid stopped us by zapping us." Kay explained. "I guess you were already asleep."

"No, I wasn't." I tell them. "I was just about to fall asleep but if you'd arrived about a minute earlier I would have probably still been cleaning the floor. How in the force did you do that anyway?"

"Spray paint." They say casually. "Really hard to get off."

"You don't say," I grumble, my eyes narrowing. "Next time do something that won't get you in _that_ much trouble _or_ expelled from the order."

Jay smirks. "Believe me, we aren't going too. We've decided that dealing with Jedi masters might be a little too troublesome for our little minds and that our fellow classmates will be just as much fun with much less trouble."

I groan and roll my eyes. They never stop getting into trouble and it's because they're always causing it. "I don't have a problem with that," I say. "So long as I'm not the one who takes the fall." I add, sensing their disbelief through the force.

They nod. "Gotcha," Jay comments. "Hey, have you seen the blonde kid from your class lately? What's his name -?"

"Trevor."

"That's it, Trevor." Jay continues. "Yeah, anyway, no one's seen him for two days now and the council are starting to get worried 'cus they can't find out about those things happening to your class mates -"

I don't hear the rest of what he's saying because I have spotted something sitting in the corner. Slowly, I come to a stop to look at it more closely. There's blood, puss and what looks like a medical needle... my mouth hangs open slightly, as it did earlier on, and my eyes widen when I realise that this is a person.

"-do you have any idea who might be behind the whole thing?" The twins obviously did not notice the reason that I had stopped and they look at me expectantly.

"No," I say. "But I have a good idea of where Trevor is." Without hesitation, I point to the lump laying in the corner that is my class mate and the twins horror echoes through the force with such emphasis that I cringe slightly. When things like that happen in the force it makes my head hurt.

Sensing this, the Jedi around us look at us and then stop dead when they see Trevor too. It takes about three seconds for a few to have gone to Trevor, a few to have gone for help and the rest to either form a crowd or tell us to move along. I am strangely grateful that we have been given an excuse to leave and lead the way through the corridors towards the mess hall, ignoring the stabbing pain in my stomach that is telling me there's something wrong; I need to get something to eat and fast.

"Hey, 'Soka, did you see how bad Trevor was? He looked like he'd been beaten to hell." Kay says.

I roll my eyes, hardly bothered about Trevor right now. "It was the effects of whatever was in the syringe," I say casually. "If he had been beaten up then the passing Jedi would have felt his pain or discomfort through the force."

The two exchange a look which I can't see but clearly sense what they have done. "Ahsoka, are you all right?" Jay asks. "You seem to know all this stuff now and you look like you've worked yourself half to death... this is to do with the competition, isn't it?"

"Your mentor is going to be the death of you." Kay adds.

Sighing, I stifle one of the many yawns behind my hand but my uncomfortable state is only made worse because sighing and then yawning is not exactly a good idea if you want to have air in your lungs. "He's not going to be the death of me," I say. Anakin would be able to heal me anyway so there is no chance of that ever happening. "It's just because I'm not getting enough sleep. I slept for four hours after working for twenty and my stomach hurts, I'm having trouble seeing whenever I stand up and I feel so tired I just want to pass out." I explain to them. Their concern is immediately obvious; even with their troublesome attitudes they manage to show concern for their friends. "I need to have some breakfast and then I'll feel better. I know I will." The last part is a complete lie because I feel awful and a simple breakfast might stop the pain in my stomach but it won't do much else.

"Yeah, I'm starving too," Kay agrees. "We need to tell everyone about what we saw."

"No, we don't. I'm not getting involved in anything to do with this because I'm a target, remember?" I remind them before sighing and rubbing my temples. Why am I so stressed out? It must have started yesterday when I was cleaning up Master Windu's room in the twins' place. However, now I think that it might be due to the fact that I'm not exactly feeling well; it's not like when I had to spend the night in Anakin's room because he had to heal me, I doubt there will be anything like that ever again, it's sort of like having a cold, except it has lots of side effects.

"Maybe you should lie down," Jay suggests.

I nod my head slowly as we turn the corner and head straight for the door that is the entrance of the mess hall. "I think you're right," I agree, ignoring the conversation that they then start about their latest victims.

The doors to the mess hall open automatically and I waste no time in going up to the counter, retrieving my breakfast and sitting down at a free table. unfortunately for me, before I can so much as take a bite out of my toast, Pedro has taken the seat next to me with that look on his face – the look that means he wants something. I'm amazed that he hasn't started asking people about what's going on with the investigation about our class, with everyone being attacked it's sort of a routine for everyone who isn't me and doesn't have a powerful force wielder to look after them.

"Good morning, Ahsoka." He says in that tone of voice; the tone of voice that makes everyone wish they were not in his company.

I sigh. "Something wrong, Pedro?"

His eyes narrow slightly and I take a bite out of my toast in boredom. "Where have you been going everyday?" Pedro asks. "You weren't around at all yesterday, not even for dinner."

"I was cleaning all of the paint off inside Master Windu's quarters," I explain. "The twins painted it pink and I took the blame. Anyway, go on."

Pedro does not seem at all bothered by the knowledge of what the twins have done and is giving me a look that clearly says he doesn't believe me. If you know people who cause trouble on a daily basis you tend to get used to everything that happens around them, so why is he giving me a look like I'm lying? "Who's your mentor?" Pedro questions.

I shrug my shoulders. "He doesn't want people to know. Apparently there's something degrading about helping a youngling, I don't know." The lie actually seems to make a little sense to me considering Anakin's personality would probably make him give that kind of reason to someone. I ignore the look of disbelief on Pedro's face and take another bite out of my toast.

"Liar," Pedro accuses. "You're behind what's happening to the people in our class, aren't you?"

I almost choke on my food at the accusation. "What?" I splutter for a moment, talking with you mouth full is not a good idea when you're trying to get your point across. "How did that assumption come from not knowing who my mentor is? Besides, I've already been attacked and you haven't so how do I know that it isn't you?"

"Oi, Pidgeon boy," Jay buts in on our conversation before Pedro can make a retort, both he and Kay are stood beside the table. "Buzz off."

Casting me one last look of suspicion, which causes me to make a mental note to ensure he does not follow me, Pedro retreats back to wherever it is he came from and the twins sit down at the table with me. Each of them is casting regular glances of warning to someone a little distance behind me, that person can only be Pedro.

"What did 'his majesty the king' want?" Kay asks sarcastically.

"To accuse me of being the one who's attacking the younglings in our class," I inform them, going back to my breakfast. "And all because I wasn't around at all yesterday. That and the fact that he doesn't know who my mentor is."

"Heck, we don't know who your mentor is," Kay points out. "But considering how much he's taught you I think he's earned the right to remain anonymous."

I nod, that's true enough, no matter what other reasons there are for me keeping his identity a secret.

"So, you planning to do anything fun today?" Jay asks. "You did spend the whole of yesterday cleaning spray paint by hand. Why not hang out with us for a bit?"

Dissapointingly, I shake my head. "Sorry, I can't. I need to get some actual rest before I end up passing out, maybe some other time when I'm feeling better."

I finish off my toast and start to eat the fried eggs that are only served on Sundays, sort of like a special. The twins have started talking about new pranks again and I eat the remainder of my breakfast quickly so that I can ignore the eyes boring into the back of my head that are most likely Pedro's. I can sense that it's him, being a Jedi and all, but even with that the feeling is still a little annoying.

"I'll see you later," I say, standing up. "I need to get some sleep." The lie is practically fool proof and I walk out of the mess hall knowing that Pedro's gaze is following me the entire time. I can sense that he is staying in the mess hall, though it is obvious that he will end up following me sooner or later, and as I head straight towards the corridor with the vent that I always use as a route to Anakin's room.

Doing a quick check around me with the force to make sure that there is no one and nothing around to see me, I climb inside the ventilation shaft and hastily make my way to Anakin's room. I am far too stressed out when I'm in anyone elses company but Anakin's and it's a little confusing. Then again, I suppose it's the same thing with everyone when they have a friend they trust more than anyone else. You just feel comfortable telling them anything and when you're angry or sad they can make you feel better just by simply being with you, now that's something I really love about life.

At a brisk pace, I reach the next vent cover in about an hour, probably more, and use the force to sense my surroundings before climbing out after receiving the 'all clear'. I walk up the corridor to Anakin's room and am gratified to know that I am back again at last; I'm not sure why I feel so happy, maybe it's because I like being around Anakin. When I reach the door, I have not even raised my hand to knock on it before it opens and shows Anakin stood there, giving me a stare that says 'explain yourself'.

"Where were you yesterday?" He asks immediately.

"Cleaning Master Windu's room," I grumble. "The twins painted it pink and I took the blame."

Anakin archs both eyebrows. "Why did you take the blame?"

"They were going to be expelled if I hadn't. Besides, it's all cleaned now and I don't have to stay awake for twenty hours doing it all by hand."

"Wait, hang on, twenty hours?" Anakin repeats. "If you woke up at six that would mean you were awake until some time after two. Please tell me you didn't get up at six o'clock today."

The guilty look on my face says it all and Anakin gently grabs my arm and pulls me inside with a 'tsk' noise. As the door closes behind me, I frown at Anakin. "Uh... what are you doing?" I ask when he leads me into his bedroom.

"Twenty hours awake and four hours sleep after a day of legal child labour," He mumbles just loud enough for me to hear. "You need some sleep."

"I feel fine." I protest, though it is not entirely true and he knows it.

Anakin rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He comments. "Come on, lay down. If you don't sleep then you should at least be laying down."

Slowly, and by all means reluctantly, I sit on the bed and take off my boots. I may not be the conventional Jedi but I know that you do not lay down on someone elses bed with your shoes on. Anakin pulls a piece of shurra fruit out of his pocket and hands it to me.

"Eat it, you'll feel better. I know you aren't feeling yourself, Ahsoka, so don't bother asking me how I do. Now, pick a HoloVid." Anakin says unexpectedly.

I haven't watched that many HoloVids, in fact I've never watched any HoloVids before, and the question is completely new to me. I'm not even sure what types of HoloVids there are to be honest, movies aren't exactly my thing since I'm a Jedi who's supposed to be selfless and only care about other people and not myself.

"I don't know any," I say honestly. "Why do I need to pick one anyway?"

Anakin smirks, probably because its obvious and I still don't know what he's on about. "You need to pick one so you have something to watch while you rest," He explains. "Shall I pick one?"

I nod. "So long as your choices aren't really bad."

Rolling his eyes, Anakin flicks his wrist and the HoloScreen sitting in the corner of the room that I hadn't noticed before opens up and Anakin walks over to it, frowning as he looks at something on the projector. "Hmm," He tilts his head slightly. "Something classical, kids like old things."

"Not a kid." I remind him but he appears not to have heard.

"I got it," Anakin pulls out a HoloVid case from out of thin air and I gawp at him. He needs to give me a warning when he's going to do something like that. "Hercules."

"What's Hercules?" I ask.

"Hercules is the son of Zeus, you know, a demigod." Anakin explains.

"Oh, you mean that mythical person?"

Anakin shakes his head in amusement for some reason. "All the power of the force and the Jedi still don't know that Hercules was real," He comments. "Just wasn't the son of Zeus. Anyway, no spoilers about films, I hate that."

I continue to frown as Anakin places the HoloVid disc into a slot in the projector and the film starts. I've never watched a film before so this is actually one of those rare moments for me; I'd always imagined I'd see my first film whilst on a mission, not whilst in the company of a force wielder who shouldn't exist. As Anakin is doing whatever it is he does, I take a bite out of one of the shurra fruit slices. It's like I thought before, there are many things that Anakin is right about and shurra fruit is one of them.

"Shout if you need anything," Anakin says from the doorway. "Lunch is at twelve so you'd better decide what you want. Do you need anything right now?"

I smile and shake my head.

Anakin nods with a smile. "Enjoy yourself." He says before walking out of the room and the door closes behind him.

Sighing, I shift on the bed and settle back against the pillows in a snug and comfortable position. I prop myself up just enough so that I can eat the shurra fruit whilst watching the HoloVid without choking, eating laying down is not a good idea. As the HoloVid starts I let myself relax completely on the bed which is much more comfortable than Master Windu's sofa. Maybe letting Anakin take care of me isn't as bad as I first thought it would be.


	17. Four Days Left, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

**Four Days Till Competition, Ahsoka Tano**

I'm not sure exactly when I fell asleep, but I know that Anakin had something to do with it. I'd just finished my lunch and was starting to feel a little drowsy before the next thing I could remember was waking up, meaning that Anakin most likely used a force suggestion to put me to sleep. Conniving idiot, I wish people knew that even those younger than them can take care of themselves when they want to.

Yawning, I turn over in bed and open my eyes. There aren't any blinds covering the window, though I'm not sure you could put blinds over a ray shielded window, and the day light is streaming in. I have no idea how actual daylight is coming in when the ray shield should be preventing it but I guess that's another of Anakin's tricks to make it feel more like a home for him. With a sigh, I snuggle into the pillow and look up at the bed side table. The chrono says that it is just after seven on a Monday morning, meaning that I've been asleep for about twenty-hours give or take a few minutes. Either way, I still wish I had slept for longer.

Disrupting my peaceful state, the door opens and I look towards the door, knowing that Anakin will be standing there. I didn't, however, know that he would be stood there with a breakfast tray. Blinking, I move and sit up as he puts the tray down on the bed and sits on the side of it.

"You got me breakfast?" I ask, looking from the tray to Anakin. "In bed?"

"Considering the fact that it's seven o'clock and you'd never make it back to the mess hall to have some in time, yes." Anakin replies with a smile. "Plus, it's a great oppurtunity to learn how to clean and make the bed with the force once your done. I'm not sleeping in a bed with loads of crumbs in it."

I cannot help but smile at the seriousness of his tone. "I guess that would be a handy trick to learn," I comment. "What's that on the toast?" I ask, changing the subject.

Anakin turns to look. "Oh, just strawberry jam," He says casually, turning back to me and frowning when I give him a puzzled look. "Don't tell me you don't know what jam is?"

"Jam?" I repeat the word, knowing that I've heard it somewhere before. In the younglings mess hall we only have butter or margarine as a topping for toast and nothing else, this is new to me. "Jedi don't eat jam." I say finally.

Rolling his eyes, Anakin picks up the tray and places it on my lap. "Well, the Jedi should change their menu." He says matter-of-factly. "Eat all of your breakfast and then I'll teach you how to make the bed with the force - not to mention how to clean it. Okay?"

I nod. "Okay." I reply. "Is there a reason you're being this nice to me?"

Anakin archs both eyebrows before tilting his head to the side in a nod of admition. "Four days left until your competition," He explains. "If you don't have all of your strength then you're going to be seriously injured and that is a promise."

It certainly didn't take him long to get to the point. "Fair enough," I say, picking up the toast with jam on it. "Don't we need to go over anything else? You know, before the competition."

"We'll just look over the map and you can tell me what your strategy will be." Anakin informs me. "It should be easy enough. I'm going to go and do some force wielder stuff, you eat your breakfast." He stands and heads for the door whilst I frown at him. Force wielder stuff? Well he's certainly not giving me any clues about what he does when he's on his own, is he?

Shrugging my shoulders, I doubt I'll ever fully understand Anakin, I look over the piece of toast before taking an experimental bite out of it. Yet another thing that Anakin was right about, jam and toast tastes very good – much tastier than simple toast and butter. As I eat I begin to wonder whether or not there will be anyone from my class left to fight in the competition. Half of us are in hospital and the other half are blaming one another, as that git Pedro did to me, for what is going on. For all I know, I might be the only one left before the competition and then I'll get the blame solely because I haven't been attacked, though I was at one point but no harm came to me.

I finish off all the four pieces of toast that Anakin brought me and start on the mashed potatoes. I've never had breakfast in bed before and it actually feels quite good, why don't people do this more often? Leaning back against the pillows, which have conveniently been moved so I can prop myself up on them, I continue to eat whilst wondering what Pedro, the git, will think of my not showing up for breakfast or dinner; I don't plan to go to the mess hall to eat with that vulture breathing down my neck.

Sighing, I poke at the bacon for a second before eating it all. For some reason, I am _really_ hungry. I think it started yesterday or the day before when I wore myself out but there's no way to be sure; waking up and feeling hungry isn't exactly a way of pinpointing the exact moment when you started to feel like a starving animal. It's probably got something to do with the upcoming competition, maybe I'm feeling more nervous than I realised – I haven't really been feeling nervous at all since my mind has been sidetracked on all of my visits with Anakin.

By the time I am done with my breakfast, there is hardly a scrap left, it is about half seven and I get up without a second thought. After such a refreshing sleep and breakfast I don't really feel like staying in bed for much longer. Hastily brushing crumbs off of my clothes, I pick up the tray that used to carry my breakfast and walk out of the bedroom; Anakin must have slept on the couch if I was asleep in his bed.

In the lounge area, Anakin is sat doing something on his datapad; I don't think I'll bother to ask what he does on it because his answer is always the same: Do I ask you what you do in your lessons? No. So I'm not going to tell you what I'm doing on my datapad. Honestly, and obviously, it's a little frustrating that he won't tell me but I suppose it's to be expected from a force wielder who I've only known for just over two weeks.

"Did you make the bed?" Anakin asks, his eyes not leaving his datapad as he does whatever it is on there.

I place the tray down on the coffee table. "No. You said you'd show me how to make and clean it with the force, remember?"

Anakin nods, like it's pretty obvious even though he just asked me if I'd made it. The man makes no sense in the mornings. "I know. It still pays to do it anyway though, you know, _automatically_."

Rolling my eyes, I sit down in one of the chairs that surround the coffee table with the sofas. "Well, I don't do it _automatically_ – as you put it – are you going to teach me how to use the force to do it?"

With a slow nod of the head, meaning that he's just finishing something, Anakin puts his datapad down on the coffee table and gestures for me to follow him as he heads towards his bedroom. Ignoring the urge to snatch up the datapad and read whatever is on it, I follow Anakin quickly and come to stand in the bedroom with him. He rolls his eyes at the bed, which is a mess because I like to leave my own bed that way and forgot that this one is actually Anakin's, before turning to me with an amused expression.

"Do you leave all of your beds in this condition?" Anakin asks, using his hand to gesture to his own bed.

How convenient. I was just thinking about that, the manipulative mind reader. "Yes," I reply. "But I usually fix them. Just... not right away."

Anakin smirks before, seemingly, getting down to business. "Okay, to use the force to do simple tasks you have to imagine how you would do it and then instruct the force to do it."

I arch an eye mark. "_Instruct_ the force?" I repeat his words, knowing that soon enough he will catch on and know why I am sceptical.

"Well, not so much instruct, more... think it." Anakin says, confusing me. "Just think about how you would do it, wave your hand and focus on using the force to carry out your actions. Is that a better explanation?"

I frown for a moment before nodding and my face returns to the usual, neutral expression. "Yes, that makes more sense than before." I agree. "What about cleaning it? Don't I have to do that first?"

Anakin shakes his head. "That happens automatically," He explains. "Now, give it a try."

Glancing from the bed to Anakin for a second, unsure of how exactly to begin, I try to imagine me making my bed in my room. This, it turns out, is a lot harder than I thought because I rarely make my bed 'automatically' and whenever I do I can hardly remember it. Making my bed is just one of those things which I completely forget about ten seconds later. Well, I'm not about to say to Anakin 'I can't remember how I make my bed' so I try harder. Of course, the idea of trying is accompanied by Master Yoda saying 'do or do not, there is no try' which is then followed with Anakin's explanation of how the Jedi master is completely wrong and needs to have his brain checked. I smile slightly at the memory; Master Yoda having his brain checked? He's so old there would probably be nothing but dust and moths, despite his intelligence.

"Focus, Snips." Anakin says, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I can sense what you're thinking."

I roll my eyes and focus, as Anakin just said, on the task at hand. It takes me a minute at least to come up with a memory of me making my bed and yet another minute for me to think of how I would make it into perfection. Swallowing, I wave my hand and use the force to make the bed, only it doesn't quite turn out that way. The sheets become even worse and the pillows are scattered around on the mattress. A stray pillow, much to my amusement, flies straight at Anakin and hits him square in the face. I cannot help but smile and laugh at that shocked look which was on his face for a moment and is now forever imprinted in my memory.

"Ahsoka," He says slowly, his voice carrying a warning note.

Holding back my laughter, I dive for the bed when Anakin tries to tackle me. He misses, obviously, but now I am sort of cornered in the room since he is stood – or rather sprawled – in front of the door and preventing my escape. I start to laugh again as he picks himself up from the floor, dusts himself off and then dives at me. Anakin must have not liked sleeping on the couch much because he's only tackled me about a hundred times and those times were when he was slightly annoyed with me.

"Gotcha." Anakin says in victory when he grabs me around the middle and holds me still as I laugh uncontrollably. "You know, that wasn't very nice."

"It was funny, though," I reply, managing to stop my laughter.

Anakin smirks at me, maybe because he likes my comment, and gets off of the bed, pulling me along with him. This time he is thoroughly prepared for any incoming pillows and I smile as he seems to position himself in a way that will allow him to escape through the door if anything goes wrong again. For the second time, I focus and try to go through each of the steps a little more carefully this time. It takes a very long five minutes before I attempt it again. When I wave my hand my eyes are closed and I am almost afraid that a pillow will come my way, or worse, the duvet. However, it sounds like nothing has happened and Anakin hasn't tackled me, meaning that no pillows have come his way again.

Slowly, I open my eyes and am both relieved and astonished to see that it has worked, well, mostly. The pillows and sheets are all neat and orderly apart from one of the corners of the duvet where it is lifted up slightly but I doubt that's too big of a problem. I can easily pat that down, not that I would normally be bothered to do such a thing.

"That's better," Anakin says. "Now, keep practising."

Frowning, I look up at him. "Practice?" I whine, trying to change Anakin's mind. "That's so boring. Besides, how am I going to mess up the bed?"

Anakin rolls his eyes. "First off, you are going to practice because it's a good way to save time in the mornings. Secondly, you can just watch HoloVids and practice using the force to do everything. For instance, using the force to make the bed when you go for something to eat and using the force to choose the next HoloVid if you're too lazy to stand up and do it yourself."

I arch both of my eye marks. "You mean... we're not going to do anything fun?" I ask. "No fire making, no bombs, no exercise, no revising?"

Smiling, Anakin nods. "For the most part, unless I decide to change my plans, today will be you doing what any normal kid does on a weekend, even though it's a weekday."

"But I'm not a normal kid," I complain. "Normal kids can't use the force and they aren't friends with force wielders."

"Haven't you ever wanted to be normal?"

I shake my head. "I've wondered what my life would be like if I was with my parents but I never really think about it for longer than a minute. Besides, I don't want to do boring stuff I want to do something fun." I complain like the child I am, of course I would never admit that to anyone or anything.

Anakin sighs and rubs his chin, thinking about something that I hope is an alternative to what he has planned out. "Okay, how about you practise and rest for a few hours -"

I groan.

"- and then we get started on making your lightsaber?"

My interest peaks at this point. "Making my lightsaber?" I ask, making sure that I heard him right. "Really? I mean, I might not even win the competition so... couldn't you make it in a heartbeat?" My rambling is proof enough that I was not expecting him to mention anything about my lightsaber, considering the fact that I have yet to get a crystal. I'm going to get one soon, obviously, I can't be a Jedi without a lightsaber.

"It's like I said before, Snips." Anakin says. "Doing things by hand is funnier and teaches more. Besides, it's _your_ weapon, not mine. My lightsaber's at home."

I frown at him. "Your lightsaber?" I repeat. "Hang on, you have a lightsaber? Really?"

Rolling his eyes, Anakin sighs. "I was a Jedi, remember? Anyway, you stay here and do something... a shower maybe."

I give him my best offended look. "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You've been sleeping in those clothes for two nights now, Ahsoka. Do you have any idea what the other Jedi will think if you show up smelling like you do right now?" He points out with the intuition that makes my eyes narrow.

But the man has a point, I realise as I sniff my clothing and pull back in disgust, I need a shower. "You make a good point," I concede. "Can I use your shower?"

Smirking, Anakin points to somewhere out of the door. "Smallest door on the left. You can't miss it."

I turn around and mutter a 'thank you' on my way out. Anakin really has a way with subtlety, in other words, he's rubbish with it. A simple hygienic joke or something would have been enough to make me realise I needed a shower; he really didn't need to come right out with it like that. Oh well; that's just one of the many things that I like about Anakin – sort of – even if it makes him sound like a pompous fart.

Finding the door that Anakin mentioned easily, I palm it open and lock the door behind me when I see that I am in a different 'fresher to the one he has adjoined to his room. This is either something that Anakin asked Master Kenobi for because of personal reasons or a guest 'fresher, which makes no sense to me whatsoever since Anakin doesn't appear to like much of the company he gets – other than me.

Jedi don't really feel odd about using other people's showers or things so it's not surprise that I have no problem with it. I do, however, make sure that there aren't any cameras or anything about; I wouldn't put it past the council to have put some cameras somewhere but there weren't any in other places so I just have to make sure. Luckily there are none and I get into the shower without further notice (with my clothes folded neatly on the floor).

Anakin is really lucky that I didn't just lunge at him and tackle him to the ground for what he said. Rule number one: anyone who insults a Jedi kisses the floor; that's how the rule goes for me and the twins, unsurprisingly. There is probably a special place in the nether world of the force for anyone who insults, or attacks, a Jedi. We are one with the force, as Master Yoda says, and the force will not allow our deaths or injuries to go unpunished; justice will be swift from the force itself, though somehow I don't see how punishment is the Jedi way let alone how the force does things.

When I get out of the shower I frown at my clothes. They look slightly off. Picking them up, I grab a note that falls out of them. Suspiciously, but hardly surprisingly, it is from Anakin.

_Snips,_

_Used the force to clean your clothes._

_Anakin. _

_P.S. The material your Jedi attire is made out of it really uncomfortable. I can change it if you'd like. _

Rolling my eyes, I get dressed and pick up the note as I head out of the 'fresher (or on suite bathroom as some people would call it). Honestly I don't know how Anakin knew that the material of my clothes is uncomfortable and I think I'd sleep better at night if I didn't ask.


	18. Three Days Left, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

**Authors Note: Once this story is complete I am going to do a re-write of my story 'On The Run Again' since it got a little out of hand. **

**Three Days Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**

I wake up to the familiar ringing of my chrono, something that I must say I'm disappointed about. I didn't have to be woken by it for two nights and I was actually getting used to it, sort of, it felt like I'd been given a break of some kind. Well, technically, my chrono hasn't been waking me up for a few days now but two days in a row is sort of like Christmas to me in my tiny room. I mean, if I had to share a room with my clan then I'd be woken up by a chrono every hour of every day because there would be so many of them. I'm actually glad that there wasn't enough room for all of us in there, even though at times I can get lonely.

After slamming my hand down on the 'off' switch and resisting the very strong urge to throw it across the room, I get out of bed and lazily wave my hand at it as I walk into the 'fresher. The resulting sound of moving sheets, no matter how faint, tells me that the trick Anakin taught me yesterday is actually paying off. I dress slowly, since I just woke up, and when I walk out of the 'fresher my bed is made with the pillows seemingly plumped and fresh. Maybe Anakin didn't tell me everything about using that little trick.

With a sigh, I realise that I have to go to the mess hall for my breakfast today and proceed to drag my feet as I walk out of my room. It's a few minutes past six, I'm guessing, so I doubt that there will be many younglings out and about just yet. Then again, the other younglings all have rooms closer to the mess hall so they'll probably be awake by the time I get there; not to mention how long it will take the twins to get up and dressed. They, of all people, will want to stay in their room for a decent amount of time.

"Hey, Ahsoka!"

Well, I suppose some people aren't as sane as I am. Turning around, I see that the few remaining members of my clan – the ones who aren't in the halls of healing - are walking towards me. Petro is giving me that narrowed eyes, accusing glare of his and I completely ignore him for obvious reasons. No one else seems to be paying him any attention either so he can't have told them anything or they just don't believe him.

"Ahsoka, didn't you hear? We're supposed to be sticking together now," Katooni says in a scolding tone. "Or did you forget that someone is targeting members of our clan?"

I roll my eyes, if there is one thing I hate it is being treated like a child by other children. "How could I forget?" I reply. "When were we told that we were supposed to be sticking together?"

"Around the time when you were with that 'secret mentor' of yours..." Petro grumbles, his accusing stare darkening with threat.

"He is not my 'secret mentor'; he just doesn't want people to know who he is, that's all." I snap, far too tired to put up with his infuriating attitude yet.

Petro snorts. "Yeah right, what kind of Jedi is he?"

"What kind of Jedi pins the blame on someone for something that they didn't do or gets paranoid?" I point out smartly. The look on his face is absolutely priceless and I wish that I have a camera to savour the moment, it would look stunning as a hologram. However, not all of my clan mates are as un-Jedi like as I am and in a matter of milliseconds Barris has walked over to my side and nudged me with her elbow, a clear indicator that I should drop whatever I'm doing and act like a Jedi for once.

"Let's go and eat breakfast," Gungi suggests in his wookie language; I learned to understand it when I was around five.

"Nice idea, Gungi. Let's go." Katooni agrees. She knows me almost as well as Barris and obviously doesn't want me and Petro to have a fight.

We start our walk towards the mess hall, all the while Petro is giving me that accusing stare of his, and I cannot help but wonder where Slimo is. Katooni said that we were all supposed to be sticking together and yet he is not here even though they all share the same quarters. Honestly, Petro should really think things through before he goes blaming things on me; I guess that's just how the idiotic git's mind works. Believe me when I say that this will be lingering in my mind for a long while.

In my silent musings on how annoying Petro is, I have not noticed that my clan – the members with me – are talking about their lightsabers. The only topics that younglings really talk about are lightsabers and when we're going to become padawans, if we ever do.

"... a yellow blade. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"I think a blue blade would be better, blue is _so_ cool!"

Rolling my eyes, and hiding my emotions from them with the force, I am more than thankful when we reach the mess hall for I find that the only conversations I find interesting are either with Anakin or the twins, since there is an element of danger in both of them. The mess hall already has a fair amount of people inside and I quickly retrieve some breakfast before going to sit at the table where two very amused looking twins are sitting.

They smile as I join them and it is then that I notice they look like they have been up all night. Then again, any night when those two are actually sleeping and not doing anything to annoy people it is nothing short of a miracle.

"Morning, 'Soka." They chorus.

Since I have already taken a bite out of my toast which, much to my distaste, does not have any jam on it I can't reply in a clear voice. "Mornin'," I say before swallowing and sending them a glare as they snicker. "Not funny."

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since we had breakfast after that whole ordeal with Master Windu." Kay asks.

I shrug my shoulders lazily. "Well, first I fell asleep in my mentors quarters for almost an entire day. Then I stayed there for another day and didn't really think about going back to my own room until yesterday."

"Wow, Ahsoka, you really need a reminder on when you're supposed to go back to your room. If I had a master like that – and force willing someday I will – then I'd never come back." Jay says.

"Wait, if you had a master then you'd be sharing a quarters with them and you wouldn't have any room to go back to and if you weren't up all night then you would have remembered that." I point out, smirking at their astonished looks.

"How'd you know we were up all night?"

"You two are always up all night," I reply.

They exchange a glance before shrugging their shoulders and digging into the remnants of their breakfast like two pigs, something that they always do. I roll my eyes and resume eating my own breakfast. It's rather odd for me to be eating in the mess hall now, there's all these things that Anakin has told me running through my mind whenever I'm in here. For one, Anakin's always saying that the food isn't nearly as nutritional as it should be and for another he keeps going on about how everyone eating in the same place on such a large scale is unhygienic. That being said, I'm a little put off from eating in this room now.

"Hey, 'Soka, any idea why those guys over there are giving you the evils?" Kay asks, lifting his head to look at something over my shoulder.

With a frown, I turn around to look at what he has just pointed out and see, to my confusion, that there are a group of around five boys older than me who are giving me the death glare - and with them is, surprise surprise, Slimo. He is also giving me that stare and I return it with one of my own before turning back around to face the twins, who have puzzled and slightly protective looks on their faces.

"No idea," I say honestly. "Probably has something to do with them being idiots, I don't know."

"Well, whoever they are, if they don't stop doing that soon someone's gonna notice. Not to mention the beating we'll give them." Jay points out in all protectiveness.

I sigh, Jedi aren't supposed to be violent, but then again, I've never been one to shy away from a fight myself.

"They've been here since long before we got here," Kay adds. "Waiting for somebody."

Frowning, my eyes dart from one to the other. "Really?" I ask. "Who?"

"No idea." Jay responds. "But judging from the looks on their faces, I think they're waiting for you. Do you have your training saber on you?"

I shake my head. "No. Master Yoda made my entire clan leave them behind."

"Well then, I suppose this means we're going to be staying with you today." Kay says with a wide smile. "Two faced kriff lords," He mutters.

Taking a large bite out of my toast, I consider this. There is not a chance that I will be able to go to Anakin today if Kay and Jay are acting as my own personal body guards; I can send them away to go to Anakin but then those other younglings will probably do something. What exactly they have against me I have no idea, all I know is that they don't like me and if they so much as touch me the twins are going to murder them (or give it their best shot).

"I'm done." I say casually. "I'll see you later."

"Woah, woah, woah," Jay stops me, standing up (along with Kay). "Have you seen them? Their faces just lit up at the prospect of you being all alone. Now, we have lightsabers and we are going to be spending the day with you."

"But my mentor..."

"Can wait. If he's as kind as you say he is then what harm could it do to spend the day with us? Besides, you don't have to get to his until between eight and ten and right now it's half six. So, since you're with us and we are not leaving you then let's go to the room of a thousand fountains, there's something really calming about that place."

Knowing that there is no way to get rid of them, I follow the twins out of the mess hall and down the corridor, all the while cautious of the sounds of people leaving at the exact moment we are. The twins sense the people too and pick up the pace slightly so that in a matter of minutes we are in the room of a thousand fountains. I can still sense that we are being followed and the twins activate their lightsabers the moment we are in the room, the room being coincidentally empty aside from us.

Kay and Jay both have blue lightsaber blades, unsurprisingly. They are both the same even in the mind of the force.

"Get behind us," Jay says, his expression serious.

Not needing to be told twice, I rush behind them and instantly know why they are on their guard. The force has done nothing but warn me of danger ever since the twins pointed out that there were younglings watching me and now it is practically shouting. So, when the door flies open and the younglings that were glaring at me walk in with their lightsabers activated I am far from surprised.

Slimo, the sith spawn, steps forward with a smirk on his face. He does not have a lightsaber but it is obvious that he does not need one with the group of younglings at his disposal. A thought occurs to me that Slimo might be the one who's attacking people from our clan; I rethink the idea in my head and conclude that it is right. It must have been him.

"What are you doing?" Kay demands. "We're Jedi. We're on the same side here."

Slimo smirks again. "You three? Jedi?" He asks skeptically. "You will never be Jedi and I intend to have my lightsaber soon. Tano, you're not going to be your usual self much longer now stand aside you two or join her."

"Bring. It. On." Jay dares, assuming a defensive stance.

Those have to be the cockiest words that have ever been uttered before a fight. Slimo's gaze darkens and, without him saying a word, the younglings behind him charge us and it takes a few well placed moves for me and the twins to find out who they are going for. Naturally, most are trying to go for me but the twins are doing a damn fine job of keeping them back.

Two of the younglings in Slimo's gang make their way to me and I quickly dodge their blades and begin my own fight, except I have to use fist fighting against them. Now, not many people have seen myself or the twins in an actual fight. Sparring, yes. A fight? No. The twins, unbelievably, are actually really good and all of the lessons that Anakin has been giving me on fighting are helping me a hell of a lot since it takes only a minute to knock the two younglings attacking me to the ground.

Slimo sees this but smiles evily at me for some reason. I frown at him in total confusion, what has him so happy? Then his gaze moves to something behind me and Kay's shout of "Look out!" adds to the speed of my turn to see what, or who, is behind me. One of his youngling henchmen, with his lightsaber raised and poised to either kill or seriously wound me.

At this point, two things happen.

One is that the twins shout my name and use the force to shove all of the enemy younglings around them to the floor.

Two is something much more peculiar.

The blade comes down with alarming speed and I brace myself for the inevitable pain when the ground starts to shake, hard. Everyone, me included, stops to find their footing and a massive crack appears in the ground between me and the youngling. Not only that, the floor then tilts due to the crack and sends us to the ground due to lack of balance. Slimo retreats out of a different door, his youngling friends roll down into the gap that has been left or the ground around it and the twins grab my arms and pull me out of harms way.

With a loud _thud _the upturned ground falls back into place leaving the younglings who attacked us sprawled around unconscious and me and the twins laying flat on our backs, breathing heavily from both astonishment and the energy it took to fight them.

Now, I won't say that I am stupid but in that moment I probably acted the stupidest of my life because I totally and completely forgot that we are in the Jedi temple, which is filled with people who can sense things like this. So, much to our distress, at that moment the doors open and a few Jedi knights and masters walk in. Though I am thankful that the younglings who attacked us still have their lightsabers on them, the twins lost theirs somewhere when the ground lifted up and we look pretty stupid just laying there on the ground, not to mention guilty.

"Ahsoka," Master Plo says sternly, with a tone that demands an explanation. "What have you done?"

If my answer had been clear then we might have actual appeared innocent, but since we all answered at once it didn't exactly turn our way.

"One at a time!" Master Windu shouts over the top of our joint explanations. "First, stand up, then you will explain to us what happened here and why there are younglings laying unconscious around you."

We proceed to do just that, standing up at once. Being the youngest, I don't get to explain anything and the twins start to do it for me. I remain silent under the serious gaze of Master Plo.

"Well, we were in the mess hall, having our breakfast, and then me and Kay noticed that there were these other younglings, these guys, giving Ahsoka really evil looks. You know, the ones you give a person who you really badly want to hurt or kill, like a sith." Jay explains.

"So, we left the mess hall when we'd finished and they followed us in here with their lightsabers out. Me and Jay got ours out, Ahsoka doesn't have one so we were sort of defending her, and we all got into a bit of a fight because Slimo wanted Ahsoka out of the way so that he could win the competition their clan is in." Kay continued.

The Jedi looked around. "Slimo is not here," Master Windu points out.

"He ran away when... well, when..."

We all look at each other for an explanation, one that no other Jedi would ever believe.

"When?" Master Plo presses for information.

Kay sighs. "When the floor lifted up and scared him out of his wits."

All of the Jedi that entered cross their arms with firm expressions. "We want the _truth_, not something that you have made up."

"Made up?" Jay repeats. "We didn't make this up. Look at the crack in the floor!" He points to the area where the large crack is as clear as day, large enough for anyone to easily get their entire bottom half stuck in. In fact, you can easily see from the position that we are in that the floor could lift up, with the right amount of force, and do exactly as we said it had.

Whilst most of the Jedi move to tend to the unconscious younglings, Master Windu and Master Plo walk closer to us and the crack with frowns on their faces. "That was not there when I came in here a few minutes ago," Master Plo says. "And it does not look to have been inflicted by a lightsaber."

"When did the crack appear?" Master Windu asks us. "Was it here before you arrived?"

"No," Jay replies. "It appeared when... well, when that blonde haired youngling was about to hit Ahsoka with his lightsaber. It sort of appeared in-between them. We grabbed Ahsoka but he and his friends just fell around on the floor."

"There must have been a reason for it's sudden appearance. Things like this do not simply appear out of thin air, something had to of caused it."

We share another glance. "It was just... _there_, master. Nobody was really looking at it and then the ground shook and we saw it right before this part of the floor lifted up and gave us all heart attacks. Then we landed flat on our backs and you came in. That's what happened."

Master Windu seems thoroughly unconvinced. "Why don't we watch the HoloFootage and then see whether or not they are telling the truth?" Master Plo suggests. "The room of a thousand fountains has very detailed security footage as I recall."

His gaze firmly fixed on all of our faces, Master Windu nods and we fall into step behind them with our heads down as they depart the room (both Jedi masters gave clear gestures for us to do so). We share looks of confusion and astonishment all the way to the communications tower. Unfortunately for me, Barris and the rest of my clan just happen to be in the corridor as we walk through and fix me with looks that say 'not again'. I give them my most innocent expression before we turn a corner and they are out of sight.

The walk is shorter than I expected, probably because we're so nervous and confused about everything that happened, and I can sense that there are already a few people inside of the communications tower (as well as see them) when we enter. There aren't any meeting, fortunately, but Master Yoda and a few other Jedi masters are sat around and in deep conversation until we enter. They are quite obviously confused as to why we , a few younglings, are in the communications tower.

"Master's Windu and Plo, brought these younglings up here why have you?" Master Yoda asks curiously.

"There was a fight in the room of a thousand fountains, master, and we wish to see if their story is true." Master Plo explains.

Our gazes firmly rooted on the ground, we stop beside the two Jedi masters as they access the security footage from the room of a thousand fountain. After selecting the correct time and date (which we give them when they ask) a hologram of me and the twins walking into the room appears. It is actually quite interesting to see that when we sense something our heads jerk up ever so slightly, something that we'll probably have to fix.

The hologram shows the twins turning around and igniting their lightsabers and telling me to get behind them, which I do. Then, as we said, the younglings come in with their lightsabers ignited and Slimo practically admits to being behind what's happening to our clan then the fight breaks out. It's six on three but we hold our own, just as we did before, and then the thing that scared us out of our wits happens. Kay shouts a warning to me, I turn around, the lightsaber comes down and then _crack_.

It happened just how we said it did in exactly the right way. The crack appeared right between us, the force of it pushing us apart by a little distance and the ground shaking so that we stumble and try to regain our balance. The section of the floor that we are stood on lifts up and the twins grab my arms and jump, we land in a heap on the floor whilst the other younglings are sent literally everywhere, not a single one staying conscious.

The ground goes back into it's original position and the next second the Jedi knights and masters come in through the door. Our heads turn in unison to look at them and the security footage ends, leaving a few very surprised and confused Jedi masters. Not to mention the amount of confusion it adds to mine and the twins' minds since we actually lived through it.

"You were telling the truth." Master Windu states, though the surprise in his tone is unmistakeable. He turns his head to look at us. "You may go." He says.

We bow, as a sign of respect, and quickly head out of the room. The sound of Master Windu talking to Master Yoda about what happened is of little concern to us and when we are a fair distance from the room at the top of the tower and standing about half way down the steps, we stop. The twins turn around to look at me (I am standing on the same step and Jay so it is only a half turn that they make).

"Can you believe that happened?" Jay asks.

"I know," I agree. "They didn't even say anything about Slimo."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Jay continues. "This is the second time that something like that has happened."

I frown. "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it, Ahsoka. When was the last time that something this impossible happened?" Kay questions. "In the vents, remember? It happened then, with the water. You were in a life or death situation then and you were in a life or death situation when the crack appeared, that can't be a coincidence."

"It must be."

Jay shakes his head. "No, Ahsoka, it isn't. It just _can't_ be. I don't know why but it's like you're invincible or something, whenever you're in danger something like this happens... doesn't it?"

I frown. Having only been in a life threatening situation twice since the strange things started happening, I'm not entirely sure how to answer. "I don't know..." I say slowly. "These things aren't just happening to me, you know. They're happening to you both too and could be happening to other people who haven't said a word, like we haven't."

"Maybe you should ask your mentor about it," Kay suggests. "He's supposed to know things to keep you safe in the competition, right? Maybe he knows something about this. He must know at least something."


	19. Three Days Left (2), Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

**Fantasyfreak133: You want Anakin as a force wielder? Be my guest.**

**Three Days Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**

After the little (actually it was rather big) incident in the room of a thousand fountains and the unsettling conversation with the twins, I waste no time in heading on my way to Anakin's room. However disturbing it may be, the twins have a point. These two events can't be a mere coincidence and I have to realise that the twins are far more intelligent than anyone gives them credit for. After only two mysterious things happening they have linked both to me when the Jedi council has not. Then again, no one apart from myself, the twins and a few of their friends know about what happened in the vents so one event isn't really much for the council to go on now, is it?

I avoid coming into contact with anyone who knows me - mainly people who are either in my clan or Jedi masters - as I head on my way to Anakin's room. Things could not have been in more need of an explanation. The Jedi nearby, or possibly far away, sensed what was going on in the room of a thousand fountains so that means he must have as well. After all, he is a powerful force wielder and something like that would most certainly gather his attention; I know that he can sense every little fight that goes on in the temple because it was that trait that allowed us to meet. I was running away from three very annoying and irritating bullies at the time.

When I reach Anakin's room, the door opens the moment I reach it even though I have not touched anything. It is obvious that Anakin opened it, especially since he is standing on the other side of the door, and I think I know exactly why.

"Hey, Snips," He says in greeting. "How was your day?"

I frown. "The days barely even started," I point out.

"Well, you must go looking for trouble because I can sense that you have already had a very interesting day," Anakin says, crossing his arms over his chest. "You want to talk about something. I know you do."

I nod in confirmation.

"Come inside," He says in a gentle voice.

Walking inside, Anakin closes the door behind me and follows me into his lounge area, where we both sit on the couch. I've asked him tons of questions, questions that made me seem like a toddler, but the question that I need to ask him now is really important.

"Tell me what's wrong," Anakin says.

"Well," I begin slowly. "Earlier on, you sensed it, I got into a fight with Slimo and his gang of younglings who are older than me."

Anakin archs his eyebrows. "How many younglings are we talking about?"

"Including Slimo, six."

"Six against -?"

"No, the twins were with me." I cut him off, noticing how his features immediatley relax but traces of his concern remain. "Anyway, they'd been sending me death glares in the mess hall and they sort of cornered us in the room of a thousand fountains. So, we got into a fight but since I don't have a lightsaber I wasn't doing that well and the twins were helping me out a lot. One of the younglings came up behind me with his lightsaber raised so that he could hit me, it would have probably killed me too. Then, when he brought his lightsaber down, this really weird thing happened."

"Did he wound you?" Anakin asks. "I can heal you."

I shake my head. "No, nothing like that, though if he had things would have been way more simpler. Anyway, when he did the ground started to shake and we all stumbled to regain our footing, so his lightsaber stopped and I didn't get hurt. Then this massive crack appeared in between us and, well, the floor sort of rose up and the twins grabbed me and jumped off onto the floor whilst the younglings who attacked us were knocked out upon impact. Then the floor just went back into place like nothing had happened and the crack was still there."

Anakin frowns. "So... this just happened all on it's own? You didn't sense anything at all?"

It is my turn to frown. Did I sense anything? To be honest I hadn't been able to sense a thing, that was why I hadn't felt the presence of someone behind me. "Actually... no." I reply. "I couldn't sense anything, not even the youngling behind me."

Anakin tilts his head slightly in confusion. "And can you sense anything now?" He questions.

I open my mouth to tell him 'yes' but then close it. To my horror, I discover that, no, I can't sense anything. Not a thing in the room. "No," I respond quietly. "I can't sense anything."

Anakin nods once, slowly, and mutters something under his breath that I can't quite hear – not even with my Togruta hearing. "I'll fix that, but I can sense that you're worried about something. What is it? It had better not be Slimo because I will vaporise him on the spot if I ever sense him near you again."

I cannot help but giggle at that. "No, no, it's not Slimo. I was just wondering if... well... if what happened in the room of a thousand fountains might have something to do with me, and what happened in the vents too. Both things happened when I was in danger so I was just wondering if it was you or something else..."

Sighing (and smiling at the same time), Anakin reaches up and places a hand on my forehead. That hand starts to glow like it always does when he's healing me so I'm guessing that he's fixing the problem with my connection to the force.

"Ahsoka, I did sense that you were in danger – both times – but I didn't interfer directly. How could I? I am stuck in this room if you haven't forgotten." Anakin reminds me.

I frown. "But... you still could have interfered, right? You said you were going to vaporise Slimo so you must be able to use the force to do things."

"Yes, but I can't interfer directly. It would have to be through the force."

My frown deepens. "So, it was you? Or is wasn't you?"

Anakin smiles mischeivously. "In a way, yes."

"Is that a yes or a no?" I ask, utterly fed up with the cryptic words he's saying.

The light coming off of his hand stops and he takes it away, I am relieved to be able to sense things again and annoyed that he has remained silent after my question. He seems to be fairly interested in something on my shoulder, but when I look at it I cannot see a thing.

"Shoulder's bruised," Anakin explains when I give him a puzzled look. "Let's watch the HoloNet, I know how little the Jedi younglings get to do that."

As he walks off somewhere, I notice how he has been ducking my question. Well, he did sort of give me an answer but his force wielder logic makes absolutley no sense to me so it doesn't really count as an answer. I raise a hand to my shoulder and flinch when it makes pain spring to life; I must have landed on it _before_ landing on my back and that's why it's bruised. Sighing, I lean back against the cushions of the sofa and wait for Anakin to return from whatever room he disappeared into (I wasn't actually paying attention and am far too confused and tired to try sensing him, his force presence is so powerful and blinding that I can hardly pin-point it).

When he returns he, amazingly, has a massive tray of food. Now, I'm no expert, but I could have sworn that the amount of food available to the republic was so low that even the Jedi weren't allowed more than three meals and a few snacks. Where he got that food I have no idea but I know that it's because he's a force wielder and can do anything (or 'next to anything' as he puts it).

"Hungry?" He asks with an arched eyebrow, setting the tray down on the coffee table.

"Starving," I reply. That fight with Slimo and the younglings really cleared me out. "Where do you get all of this anyway?"

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "Here, there, everywhere," He says in that cryptic tone that I despise. "Any ideas on what to watch?" I send him a look that clearly reminds him of how little I have watched the HoloNet. "Okay then, I'll pick. Maybe there's a pod racing show on."

"What's pod racing?" I question, curious.

"_What's pod racing?"_ Anakin repeats like he's never met me before. "Don't the Jedi teach you anything? Force... pod racing is this high speed sport which involves a lot of injuries, violence and action. I used to race when I was a kid, this was before the Jedi found me and before the force wielders found me."

"As a kid you were pod racing? Didn't your parents ever tell you not to?"

Anakin casually says, "I was a slave and it was what my master wanted at the time." The idea of Anakin doing whatever someone tells him to does not sit well with me, let alone the reminder of how tedious his past was. Kidnapped to be taken to a force wielder and, before that, a slave? His life is like a Jedi's worst nightmare. Needless to say, I'm not exactly comfortable with the subject of slavery and decide to change it before any unpleasant events are discussed.

"Can we watch a documentary?" I ask.

Anakin frowns. "A documentary? Those weird programmes that come up with loads of things to confuse you?"

"It's called history and just happens to be a favourite subject of mine." I tell him, narrowing my eyes.

"_History? _Really?" He questions with slightly widened eyes and arched eyebrows. "Why do you want to know about things that happened when you could be thinking about things happening now?"

I roll my eyes at his stupid point of view and cross my arms over my chest. "Documentaries happen to be very interesting and entertaining. Besides, can't you tell whether or not what they're saying is true?"

"Well, yes, but -"

"So it should be amusing for you to see how wrong they are. Come on, please?" I stretch the word 'please' in such a whinny way that makes me cringe inwardly. Of all the times to sound like a pleading five year old...

Anakin sighs in defeat and leans back against the cushions before handing me the remote. With a smile, I pluck it out of his hand and flick through the channels. There's a really sketchy programme on how all of the species came together (that involved about a thousand years of slavery and all sorts of things the galaxy would like to forget) and a film about the time when man-kind used to think that they were alone in the universe. Ignoring all of these programmes – and for good reason – I pick a programme about the wonders of the galaxy. Then Anakin lets out a groan of annoyance and I change my decision to something about a hundred year war, but not before elbowing him in the gut. That stopped the sigh of relief that almost escaped him.

"This is... something," Anakin comments a few hours later, having lost all control of holding in his boredom. "Remind me to get you to watch more stuff on the HoloNet and to block this channel."

I stick my tongue out at him. "I'll watch other things when I don't have papers to do or research projects and so on."

Anakin archs both his eyebrows. "You have to write papers on this? Blimey, no wonder all Jed younglings act like walking zombies -" I shoot him a death-threat glare. "- never mind. Force wielder history is so much more interesting, you'd love it, especially if you like history. There's been galaxy on galaxy wars, invisible armies and so much more... I don't think I've ever looked more stupid than when I first heard about it."

"Invisible armies?" I repeat quietly, ignoring the last part of his sentence. "Are you serious?"

"I am." He confirms. "Invisible armies, armies of plants... you should have seen the pranksters army. Dear force. I've never laughed so hard in my life..."

I frown and lean back further on the couch. "I wish I had seen it, being born a force wielder sounds so interesting."

Anakin tilts his head slightly before leaning forwards and picking up a smoothie from the coffee table which he then hands to me. "Actually, it's not just force wielders who live on our planet."

Whilst drinking my smoothie through the straw contently, I arch both of my eye marks, a clear indication to continue.

"There are force guardians, force users and that's not even including the lower races." He says.

"What do you mean 'lower races'?" I ask, stopping drinking for a few moments.

"Well, there are three races of beings that are the most powerful. The force wielders, force guardians and force users. You already know about the force wielders, obviously, and they populate most of the planet. The force guardians are usually invisible and they are like the forces little helpers, always watching over galaxies and solving any problems. They're often what the Jedi and sith call upon to help them solve their own problems."

By now I am fairly interested. "But... Master Yoda said that we call on the force itself for help, not force guardians. He doesn't even know they exist."

Anakin nods. "That's the general thought, but, no. Only powerful force wielders or guardians call upon the actual force. Besides, you didn't really think that the force could do _everything_ on it's own without any help, did you?"

He certainly has a point there. "So, what you're saying is, your planet isn't actually just for force wielders? Anyone could go there... right? I mean, there weren't force users there before, were there?"

"No, they came from space travel. If you're an outsider you need permission but, yes, that is the essential idea. It is a peaceful planet after all." Anakin explains.

I frown in deep thought for a moment before placing those thoughts aside and reaching for some shurra fruit. So, his planet isn't just for those with extraordinary force powers (well in a way it is) but anyone with permission can go. They must get about a thousand requests an hour from people who know about their planet and want to come for a visit. As I am thinking, and munching on my shurra fruit, Anakin waves his hand at the tray of food and it changes into other types of food. Now, I know that word 'jaw-dropping' is thrown around a lot but if anyone else saw a tray of fruits and healthy items transformed into a tray of sweets, chocolates and tons of their favourite foods that would be exactly what they would say.

"Is that good for the food?" I ask out of curiosity. A good question, especially if the food is going to turn out rotten.

Anakin smirks at me. "Yes, there's nothing wrong with me doing that to the food. Besides, seeing so much healthy food on the table makes me cringe. There is a special place in the netherworld for the person who made healthy food taste so awful." He reaches out and picks up a piece of chocolate before plopping it into his mouth.

"What did you mean when you said 'lower races'? Which ones are they?" I cannot stamp down my curiosity and reach for a bag of candy.

Sighing, Anakin rubs a spot on his forehead. "There's loads of them and I can hardly remember. I have it on a datachip somewhere, I wonder... oh yeah, there it is." I do not notice at first that he is using the force to summon the datachip to him but it is kind of hard to notice when it skims over your head two seconds later.

"Here you go," Anakin says, handing it to me. "Try not to read it all in one day, though I doubt you could. There's, what, seven hundred pages? I don't know. I only ever read it once."

"Seven hundred pages?" I repeat with a scoff. "There's more than that in the Jedi history books."

"You try reading force wielder books," Anakin grumbles. "So, how's it going with your clan? No one has been injured, have they?"

I shake my head. "I doubt anyone else will be hurt now that Master Plo knows that Slimo was the one behind it. There's no way he can get out of it."

Anakin nods. "Just like there's no way you're going to get out of the questions your friends are going to ask you." He says and I frown in confusion. "You didn't really think that a bunch of Jedi knights and masters would just waltz into the room of a thousand fountains because of a little fight between some of the younglings, did you? They have to fight in a war and pay next to no attention if they can help it. Snips, I would place money on the fact that almost every Jedi in the temple sensed what happened in that room because that thing with the floor was not natural."

"Do you think someone did it on purpose?" I ask.

"Maybe... but probably not. From what you said, it was sloppy and only meant to do one thing."

"What is that one thing?"

Anakin shrugs his shoulders and summons another piece of food to him with the force. "I'll let you know. Now, it's about eight now so shouldn't you be getting back to your friends for dinner?"

"I guess you're right," I admit, not really wanting to leave just yet.

"Oh, and the competitions in three days so you'd better not stay up late doing anything. I'll know if you stay up so just go to bed before eleven." Anakin reminds me.

I nod, knowing that there's not much else I can do at the moment, and head for the door with a small chunk of cake in my hand (a piece which I quickly put into my mouth). "Bye." I manage to say with a mouth full of food before palming open the door and leaving. At a quick pace, I head for the vent that serves as my route to and from Anakin's room without being spotted and climb inside. It has been a really long day, mainly because my mind is still mulling over the events of this morning, and I just want to have some dinner – _proper_ dinner – and go to bed. Actually, maybe I should start reading about those species that Anakin mentioned to me; the datachip is still in my pocket and my datapad should be able to read it easily, especially since it has its own conscious, if I play my cards right I might actually be able to get to sleep before eleven.

It takes me the usual amount of time to walk through the ventilation shafts and to get out at the other end unnoticed. There's still some Jedi out and about because there isn't really a curfew for anyone above the rank of youngling and I head to the mess hall quickly, food takes a priority for me. I just have to eat my dinner, go to my room, start reading about those different kinds of species and go to bed.

"Hey, Ahsoka!"

Scratch that. I have to talk to Barris, eat my dinner, go to my room, start reading about those different kinds of species and then go to bed hopefully all before eleven o'clock.

I turn around and smile as Barris heads towards me. "Hello, Barris." I say in greeting.

"Where have you been? Didn't you sense what happened earlier?" She asks me and I tense ever so slightly.

"Uh, sense what?" I question, playing the innocent person that I'm really not cut out to be.

Barris rolls her eyes. "You really need to start paying attention to what you feel through the force, Ahsoka. Loads of people sensed it but Master Luminara wouldn't tell me what had happened because it was too confusing. It's even on the holocron of things that the Jedi council haven't been able to figure out yet."

I swallow. "Are they investigating it?"

"I don't know, I'm not on the council." Barris says as we both start to walk towards the mess hall. "Anyway, did you hear? Katooni was attacked a few hours ago."

"What?" I ask in disbelief. "That's not possible. The person responsible should have been brought in by the Jedi council by now."

"Do they know who did it?"

"Well, I hope they do. I mean, I do and they must too." I say, trying to avoid mentioning that we were watching a hologram of what happened in the room of a thousand fountains. Honestly, keeping a low profile in the Jedi temple is like being a bull in a china shop. You can't not draw attention to yourself in some way or another.

"You know who's doing this?" Barris asks with wide eyes.

"I have an idea... I can't believe no one's bothered to confront him about it." I continue before shrugging my shoulders. "They'll probably do it later, right now I'm starving. Sugar always makes me hungry."

"You've been eating sugar?"

"No. I've been eating junk food. Let's eat."

We enter the mess hall less than a minute later and I am unsurprised to see the twins already inside. They eat about three of the same things for dinner and it takes them a while if they aren't in a hurry; those two are always hungry. I get my dinner and sit down opposite them with Barris at my side; it's obvious from the way that the force is telling me she's exhausted that she's been doing some saber practice. Dinner is sausages and mashed potatoes, we always have potatoes for some reason, and I suddenly wish that I had the ability to change the food on my plate to something else.

"Have you been eating sugar?" Kay asks when I sit down.

I frown. "What in the force...?"

"Your lekku turns a shade darker whenever you eat junk food," He explains with a shrug. "I don't know why but you should probably do something about it."

"How am I supposed to do anything about it?"

He shrugs again. "I don't know, try asking your master when you get one. Did you hear about what happened to Katooni?"

I nod. "Barris told me she was attacked."

Jay snorts. "Attacked? That's an understatement. She has a broken arm, fractured leg and there's a massive hole in one of the corridors in the second tower. It's the most violent attack yet and there's Jedi knights crawling all over the place because they've been told to investigate."

"What? You mean they don't know that Slimo's behind it?" I ask.

"Nope. Not even when he practically confessed it in the room of a thousand fountains." Kay says.

"Hang on, you were in the room of a thousand fountains? That's where the power surge that everyone sensed came from." Barris informs us. "What happened in there?"

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," Jay comments just loud enough for her to hear. "Anyway, you got any ideas on what to do if Slimo corners you like that again, Ahsoka? We might not be there to help."

I shrug my shoulders. "My mentor said that if Slimo was anywhere near me he'd vaporise him on the spot."

The twins smirk. "Nice guy, you have to let us meet him sometime."

"I'll think about it," I mumble. There's no way that they're going to meet Anakin for obvious reasons. The first and most pressing reason being that no one is supposed to know that there is a powerful force wielder being held prisoner in the Jedi temple simply because the high Jedi council are afraid of him – well, half of them are afraid of him. Whatever their reasons are I know that they must all be very stupid since, according to Anakin, only Master Kenobi has taken the time to actually get to know him.

As I let out a yawn, Barris nudges me with her elbow. "If you're tired shouldn't you be going to bed? Didn't your mentor say anything?"

"He said that I could stay up till eleven but I had to go to bed either before or at eleven. Why?"

Barris rolls her eyes. "The competition is in three days, remember? Isn't there any sleep you want to catch up on?"

"I would if it weren't for those chronos," I grumble, earning a glare from Barris. "Fine, I'm going. See you tomorrow."

"Bye." The three say at once as I stand and walk out of the mess hall having only eaten half of my dinner. It isn't really the most intelligent idea to eat dinner after having eaten a load of junk food and fruit in Anakin's room a little while before. My stomach is full now and there isn't much else that I could eat even if I'd tried.

I head straight for my room without talking to anyone, not that there is anything to talk about, and walk inside with a yawn. My chrono says that it is almost ten, meaning that I have a full hour before I have to go to sleep tonight. Not wanting to spare a moment, I rush into the 'fresher and get changed before returning to my bed side table and picking up my datapad. Taking the datachip out of my pocket, I insert it into the free slot of the datapad and wait patiently to see what happens. My datapad beeps and comes up with a mess age that lasts for a few seconds before displaying the file that Anakin gave me. The message read: _I've taken bigger files than this. _

Rolling my eyes, I sit down on the bed and open the file. It's more than seven hundred pages, more like a thousand. I get into bed and prop myself up on the pillows so that I can start to read. The chapter titles are things that make my brain run a thousand par secs a minute. There's over fifty pages on force wielders and even more than that on force guardians. Not to mention all of the other races that there are. I'm not sure when I'm going to find time to read all of this but I'm sure that I will find a way.

Half way through the twentieth page on force wielders, he species which just happens to be at the beginning, my eyes begin to droop and I fall asleep.


	20. Two Days Left, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

**Two Days Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**

Morning comes like a kick in the face. One moment I am peacefully sleeping without any dreams of any kind and the next I am woken by the sound of the most annoying thing in the universe. A chrono. With a tired groan, I reach out with my hand and turn it off. My eyelids are incredibly heavy and it takes a lot of effort on my part to keep my eyes open. Now, if I'd been woken up at a reasonable time like half seven then this might not be a problem but no; Jedi have to get up at six in the morning because otherwise we will become 'tardy' and 'lazy'.

Yawning, I turn around in bed and realise for the first time that I am laying on something hard and uncomfortable. My features twist into an expression of pain for the briefest of moments and I reach beneath me to yank the hard object out from it's unfortunate position. It's my datapad, and it's _still_ on. Either that or it magically switched itself with that over-intelligent mechanical brain of its. The page that I was in the middle of reading the night before is still displayed and I have to tear my eyes away from it because I find it all incredibly interesting. I simply cannot wait to start reading about all of those other species. It's such a shame that none of these extra species can be Togruta's, maybe my species are just too remote and never bothered to venture out to planets like Anakin's.

I groan whilst rubbing the spot on my back which is aching (the part which was resting upon my datapad) and manage to throw back the covers and get out of bed. It's harder than you might think for a Jedi to get out of bed in the morning, we're not all powerful beings even though I know just one person who's all powerful and probably hates getting out of bed in the morning. Actually, hate might be the wrong word for that. Anakin would most likely kill the person, or thing, that dared to wake him in the mornings and I can only imagine how battered and bruised his chrono must be considering the fact that mine is in ruins.

Snatching up my clothes from where I placed them in the drawers, I drag myself into the 'fresher and get dressed at a snails pace. I'm not entirely sure why but I've been becoming increasingly tired each morning. I always go to sleep at a time between ten and eleven so this shouldn't actually be happening at all, which makes me wonder if my energy is going anywhere useful. It's probably just a side-effect of being around Anakin and doing all of that excercise and using the force in those advanced ways. Speaking of which, I wave my hand at the bed and smile as it makes itself. Oh, if only life were as simple as Anakin makes it look with the force.

Stuffing my datapad into my pocket and pausing for a moment to check up on my miniature planet, I walk out of the room whilst stifling repetitive yawns behind my hand. Already there are Jedi out and about, though there is an obvious lack of younglings wandering around, so I don't see the point in walking around quietly as I usually do if I wake up at an earlier time than usual. It's a rather sunny day for the winter which means that, sooner or later, there is going to be a lot of rain and hail following it.

I'm surprisingly hungry today, _extremely_ hungry. I have no idea why but Master Yoda is always saying that the force works in mysterious ways so I'm willing to guess that it has something to do with that. Naturally, because of my hunger, I head for the mess hall just like I do every day. It's a routine that every Jedi youngling has. Get up, get dressed, get organized and go to the mess hall for breakfast. Honestly, it's like there isn't a war going on over our heads in space allowing the dark side to grow stronger with each passing second.

My musings abruptly halt when I realise that I have just reached the mess hall and I mentally scold my lack of insight as I walk inside. It's half full, as it usually is on a sunny day, but I can't see the twins or Barris anywhere. They must all be asleep since no other remaining members of my clan are visible. Luckily, none of the younglings who attacked me and the twins yesterday are here so at least I won't be badgered or forced to ward off some death threats or other. There isn't a queue at the counter so I go and retrieve some breakfast quickly before sitting alone at one of the unoccupied tables and eating in a rush.

Hunger is one of natures headaches and food is the painkiller (or paracetamol as some people prefer to call it). I try to slow down but don't do a particularly good job of it and am forced to result to taking larger bites so that I can't fit anything else into my mouth. That tactic does an effective job of slowing me down.

I reach out through the force to try and find out where the twins and my clan members are. It's rather surprising to sense that my fellow clan members are all stood still in a corridor in a group, probably due to something Pedro found out. The twins are near a turbo-lift which makes me a little concerned. The last time they were both alone next to a turbo-lift they almost destroyed it and nearly sent a rival clan of younglings to their untimely deaths. That was a bad week. A very, very, very, very, very bad week. Maybe being able to pinpoint the exact locations of people you form bonds with isn't as good as I first thought it was, all it does is make me worry and wonder.

Oh well, it's not as if I'm going to be seeing anything life threatening until I become a padawan. Scratch that, I won't be seeing anything life threatening for two days. I never bothered to realise how close the competition is now and there aren't any butterflies in my stomach for once. Then I remind myself that Jedi don't get scared or nervous and that the fact that I'm not nervous is a good sign, even though I'm going to be going up against giants and other things.

I take the last few bites of my food before standing up and leaving. There's nobody around for me to talk to and at least another hour before I can even consider going to Anakin's room so what should I do? A thought comes into my head and I start down a different corridor. The twins are busy being their usual selves and the few uninjured members of my clan are held up somewhere, but there is a place where I can visit the rest of my clan. After four right turns, seven left turns and walking up a bunch of stairs I find myself in the halls of healing.

"Hello, young one." One of the Jedi healers greets me. "Can I help you?"

I nod. "Yes, I'm looking for my friend Katooni, is she here?" That was a little bit of a stupid question considering how I know that anyone who gets attacked and is a Jedi ends up in the halls of healing.

The healer smiles at me. "Of course, she's in the room down there. Third door on the right."

"Thank you." I reply with a smile, quickly heading towards the room which was indicated.

I can't hear anything from inside, not that I expected to, and I open the door warily as I am expecting something horrific like what happened to Liam. To my surprise, I find that Katooni looks perfectly fine aside from the bacta bandages on her leg and arms. From what I can tell, the attack on her was not nearly as violent or disgusting as the attack on any of the other members of my clan.

"Hey, Ahsoka." Katooni greets with a smile. "I was wondering if anyone was going to visit me, everyone else has been too busy."

"How do you know they're busy if they haven't come up to see you?" I ask, walking over to her bed side.

Katooni shrugs her shoulders and winces. She probably forgot that shrugging your shoulders whilst your arms are injured hurts like the dark side itself. "I sensed it," She informs me. "Wait, don't you have to go to that 'secret mentor' of yours today?"

"Yes, but not before eight o'clock or he gets a little grouchy." I say. "He likes to sleep in."

Katooni smirks. "Lucky him," She says. "I don't really see much of you nowadays. You're always so busy with your new friend, did anyone say anything about the person who attacked me?"

I slowly shake my head. "No, they just mentioned that you were attacked. What happened? I thought that there was someone investigating all of these attacks and making sure that we were all safe."

Katooni snorts. "Tell that to my broken arms and leg." She mutters. "I'm not exactly sure what happened to me. I was on my way back to our room, not yours because... you know, and then the lights went out. There was a loud smashing noise and then I woke up in here with my arms and leg bandaged. They said that I was attacked and that the window nearest to me had been smashed."

"Why is it that there is always a window smashed?" I ask, speaking more to myself than to Katooni. "You'd think Slimo had better things to do than smash windows."

"Slimo?" Katooni repeats. "You think that he's behind all of this?"

I nod. "He has to be, he attacked me, Kay and Jay in the room of a thousand fountains yesterday because he wanted me out of the way. Who else could it be? I'm surprised he hasn't been punished yet."

"Ahsoka, just because he attacked you and those twins doesn't mean that he's responsible for all of this," She gestures around the room. "Besides, it must have been really humiliating for him if you're still okay. One against three doesn't sound at all like a fight worth picking."

"He had five other younglings with him," I explain. "So it was six against three, and I didn't even have a weapon!"

Katooni sighs. "We really should have gone through 'the gathering' already. None of this would be happening, most likely, since none of us would be old enough for corruption. We'd be being watched by hawks."

I smile. "Yeah, that would probably have been better."

"You wouldn't happen to have anything for me to do, would you?" Katooni asks. "It's so boring just staying here and waiting for my bones to heal."

Do I have something for her to do? I frown and search my pockets. My datapad is in there, I can't very well let her have that, and a few scrap pieces of paper. In my other pocket is... the miniature planet? I take it out of my pocket hesitantly. I'm sure that I left that back in my room, I know I did, but it is a game... this should fit the bill. What better way than to occupy your time with a game?

"Here you go." I say, handing it to Katooni. "It's a simulation game where you are the force... sort of."

Katooni archs both her eyebrows. "Really?" She observes the game carefully. "How does it work?"

"Pull out the holo-tabs and there's an instructions list at the bottom." I inform her. "That should tell you everything you need to know, even I don't know all of it."

With a smile, she does exactly as I say and ten minutes later is happily making changes that appear to be doing the game a whole lot of good. Katooni always has been the best at games, even if it's the first time she's played one. I am curled up in one of the chairs reading more about the different kinds of species found on Anakin's planet and still disappointed to find that none of them are Togrutas. According to the book, each type of species is trained in what they were born to do from birth and can't leave the planet except for their jobs. On the bright side, there are apparently lots of force wielding Togruta's so at least my people have done some travelling in their life time.

As I finally reach a more informative part on force users, I glance at the chrono and do a double take at the time. Eight o'clock. How on earth is it eight o'clock? I've only been with Katooni for ten minutes... haven't I? Muttering a curse under my breath, quiet enough so that Katooni does not hear it, I stand up and stuff my datapad into my pocket.

"I have to go now, sorry." I explain to Katooni.

She smiles. "That's all right. Can I hold onto this until I leave? It's really boring in here."

"Yes, sure." I reply, heading to the door. "Bye."

"Bye." Katooni responds right before I exit her room and speed up my walking pace.

I have two hours to get to Anakin's room so it isn't really that bad, what made me freak out was the fact that the time had passed in the blink of an eye. Ten minutes had suddenly turned into more than an hour and I am still trying to figure out exactly how that happened. The information about the different types of species must make time fly faster than I initially realised. Oh well, it's not as if there's anything that could keep me busy for the next two hours anyway.

"Tano."

Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me.

"Slimo."

This piece of rancor dung just won't quit. He's stood in front of me now, a few feet away, blocking the path to the corridor with the vent which I use to reach Anakin's room. His training saber is at his belt, little thief, and the look in his eyes says quite clearly that he has a score to settle with me. Truthfully, I don't think I've ever been less scared of someone than I am now. I mean, Slimo can't conjure lightsabers out of thin air and hold them in the palm of his hand so why should I be afraid of him? That dark force wielder would probably wipe the floor with him given the chance, but what makes me feel completely safe is Anakin's promise. I just hope that vaporizing Slimo won't leave a stain on the floor.

"You got me into a lot of trouble with that trick in the room of a thousand fountains, Tano." He says through gritted teeth. "But luckily, I have enough intelligence to get out of these situations. The same cannot be said for you."

I snort, unable to prevent myself. "Intelligence? Please. I'd tell you how many ways in which you are most definitely _not_ intelligent but I would like to actually get to sleep tonight."

His eyes flare in anger. "You think you're so high and mighty, don't you, Tano? Well I've got news for you, you're nothing but a little charity case who will never get a master. You will never be a jedi!"

I roll my eyes. "I hate to break it to you, Slimo, but I'm already a Jedi. There's a reason we're called 'Jedi initiates' you know."

Slimo looks like he's been hit by a speeder. Then again, he always looks like that so nothings changed. "Shut your mouth, Tano. I'm a way better Jedi than you ever will be." He ignites his training saber. "You should never have insulted me."

I sigh in exasperation. "This is like a stupid HoloDrama." I mutter. "Only with a stubborn shaak with a head injury."

He lunges at me and I side-step him, except there really isn't any need to. Once again I can only stare at what is going on in front of me. Actually, standing and staring might not be such a good idea considering what is going on right now. A loud bang is the only thing I hear before I am yanked backwards by someone and land flat on my back. To say that I am unhappy is an understatement, what would anyone else be feeling when they landed on their back? Pain? I can't argue with them on that one.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the dizziness I am feeling, I lift my head to look around and see that I am not in the corridor that I used to be in. No. Right in front of me, making me more confused than I have ever been in my life, is the door to Anakin Skywalker's room. I blink several times and rub my eyes to make sure that I am not hallucinating. When I open them again the door remains and I cannot help but gawp. I've moved the distance of one hour in a few seconds... what the hell?

Slowly, I stand up and look around. There's no one in sight and I can't sense anyone nearby except for Anakin. I cast one final look around me before turning and knocking on the door. This is far too confusing for me to understand and yet I am very calm. I can recall one of the Jedi healers explaining that in severe cases of confusion and stress the victim can become unnaturally calm until all hell breaks lose. Of course, those weren't the exact words used but that was the translation that entered my mind.

The door opens a few seconds later. Anakin has a frown on his face and his posture is enough to tell me that he is far from happy about something.

"Good morning." I say in greeting.

"You do remember what I said about Slimo, don't you?" Anakin asks.

I nod. "Yes. You said you'd vaporise him if he ever came near me again." A thought enters my mind that makes me cringe. "You didn't _really_ vaporise him, did you?"

Anakin smirks and shakes his head. "Unfortunately not. I just made his training saber explode and teleported you here... last time I'm doing that. I've got a headache the size of Dantooine."

I frown. "Teleporting people gives you a headache?"

"Technically no-one's supposed to be able to do it on a non-force sensitive planet without nearly killing themselves, but I had a gift from a friend that I used to help me out. By the way, you're going to have a migraine from it in a few minutes so you should probably come inside." He informs me.

Migraines do not sound or feel like a good thing so I quickly rush past him and into the lounge. I've had a headache once before and it was far from pleasant, from what Barris has told me, I know that a migraine is ten times worse than a headache and that for Togruta's the effects are enhanced because of the strain on our lekkus. I once saw Pedro with a migraine and he was not a happy bunny. I had to dodge ten shirts, two pairs of shoes, some boots, a training saber and a paper weight before I got out of the room that day.

I sit down on the sofa and watch as Anakin comes in.

"I cannot believe you... not trying to defend yourself before he attacked... modesty doesn't do you any good on the battlefield you know." Anakin says, pacing in front of me.

"It was a corridor, not a battlefield." I remind him.

He rolls his yes. "Yes, I know that, Snips. My point is that you were supposed to attack him first when you sensed he was going to attack you."

"I didn't sense anything," I admit, not knowing how I had not realised this before. "I'm not sure why but I didn't."

Anakin sighs and waves his hand. A second later a type of pill lands in it along with a glass of water. "Take that," He says, handing both objects to me. "It will help you get in touch with the force again."

For a moment I just study the pill and try to work out exactly what it is, except I can't. The next second I simply put it into my mouth and take a drink of the water to help wash it down my throat. It doesn't taste like the nicest thing in the world, but nothing related to medicine actually tastes nice so it isn't much of a surprise. Anakin has resumed his pacing in front of me and I actually sigh because it is just so boring to watch. He keeps muttering under his breath and it isn't doing me much good when I can feel the migraine beginning to start.

"Are you going to stay annoyed over one little thing?" I ask. "It was just Slimo."

Stopping, he turns his head to look at me. "That is not what I'm worried about, what if he injures you in the competition? What if he kills you?" The last part of his sentence sounds as though it was forced out and not in the hard to say kind of way. It's like he knows I won't die, which is good because he's a force wielder and knows whether or not something is going to happen. That alone is enough to lift my spirits about the competition.

"You need to practice with a saber more," Anakin says as he finally stops pacing once more. "Or you could just do more excercise, your choice."

"Saber practice." I say without a moments hesitation. "Lots and lots of saber practice."

* * *

It has been thirteen hours, fifty-six minutes and thirty-four seconds since I started practicing with a saber against the training droid in Anakin's room. Not exactly the best choice I could have made but tons better than doing that torture that Anakin calls 'exercise'. However, doing saber practice for this long is a just down-right tiring and it's no wonder that the moment Anakin says it is nearly ten o'clock and that I should stop that I would drop the training saber and flop down on the sofa. When people talk about the skill of a Jedi they just assume that it is because of their natural force ability. Wrong. I just wish that it were true and that the truth wasn't that we have to exercise till dusk and practice and study like our lives depend on it.

"You need a drink?" Anakin asks from his seat beside me.

I nod. "Yes, please."

He gets up and disappears into the kitchenette. Taking a deep breath, I push myself into a sitting position using my elbows and lean back into the cushions of the sofa. The other members of my clan are going to think that I've seen a ghost or something because I can tell how pale I am. I declined most of Anakin's offers for food and my stomach is grumbling rather loudly. Oh well, I can just get some dinner from the mess hall... but it's ten o'clock now and I'd get back to my room at eleven so I probably wouldn't be able to eat anything truthfully. The winter air sends a chill down my spine, something which has not yet happened this year, and I can tell that the temperature has just plummeted outside.

Anakin reappears a few moments later with a drink of squash and a plate of dinner... force bless this force wielder, he knew that I was hungry. He sets the drink down on the table and hands the plate to me before sitting down and spreading out his legs in front of him, something he does often.

"Thanks." I say.

"Your welcome," Anakin replies. "Now, when you finish eating you have to go to your room and go straight to sleep. I am not going easy on you tomorrow."

I cannot help but snort. "Have you ever gone easy on me?"

Anakin rolls his eyes and leans back on the sofa. "No, but I haven't tried my hardest for obvious reasons."

He's got a point there. I quickly eat my food as neatly as I can, which is nothing to be proud of, and when I finish Anakin is giving me one of those looks. Anakin takes the plate from me and I gulp down my drink quickly. It's not exactly a good thing for me to show up late at my room, not that anyone else sleeps inside it, and with all of the accusations being thrown around I could become the target at the drop of a hat. It would be like what happened to Pedro, accusing little rancor. I still cannot believe that he would accuse one of his friends of attacking members from our own clan. Since when have I ever shown violence towards them?

"Good night, Snips." Anakin says as I head for the door.

"Good night, Anakin." I reply, closing the door behind me when I walk out.

The walk back to my room makes me wish I had the ability to teleport or something. It was a rather nice break to have Anakin teleport me to his room. Well, to the door of his room. Then again, the migraine afterwards nearly made me topple over several times so there is quite obviously room for improvement and I'm not entirely sure you can improve teleporting judging by Anakin's explanation of how it isn't something force wielders normally do. Although, another reason that he might not like teleporting people is that others could find out about it. I mean, teleporting me to right outside his room in front of Slimo? That's the easiest way for someone to find out that something strange is going on, other than what happened in the vents and the room of a thousand fountains.

The moment I get into my room I take my datapad out of my pocket and place it on my bedside table before walking into the 'fresher to get changed. Today has been a really long, not to mention confusing, day and it is mostly because of the teleporting experience. I still have a small headache because of that and I managed to curse Anakin numerous times under my breath because of it before he heard me and gave me a lecture. Honestly, the nerve of the man, lecturing me when he curses like there isn't an eleven year old stood in the same room as him.

I stifle a yawn behind my hand as I re-enter my room and climb under the covers of my bed. Today may have been confusing and annoying in its own way but it will be nothing compared to what will happen in two days. I have a competition where I might die and half of my clan is in the halls of healing from a mysterious attacker who I just know is Slimo. With that final thought in my head, I yawn once more, rest my head upon the pillow and fall asleep.


	21. One Day Left, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

**One Day Til Competition, Ahsoka Tano**

Mornings aren't as bad as the actual day. That's the first thing I think of when I wake up from a long sleep that cured the headache I had going on. No; mornings are just the warm up to the hells of the actual day and the nights are the times when the universe is saying 'rest now because tomorrow is going to be one hell of a ride'. Yes, that is how I would sum up mornings. Force only knows why I was thinking about _that_ when I woke up, probably something I sensed in the middle of the night. Sometimes I wish that my dreams couldn't be tampered by the force. It only serves to make life more complicated, if that is at all possible, and draw people down a path that they do not want to go down.

Force, why am I thinking about this at six o'clock in the morning? I'm turning into Master Yoda. Just to double check, I look down at myself to make sure that I am not green or impossibly short. Nope. I'm still me. I must be going mad.

Rubbing my tired eyes, I slowly look around the room for a moment and sit up in bed. Oh what I would give to be able to stay in bed for a few more hours. With a yawn, I lazily push back the covers and get out of bed. It is still dark out, being winter, and that only makes me wish even more that I was still asleep. I didn't have any dreams last night, which is odd. Force sensitives are always having dreams or visions about the future and the force never stops speaking to us even whilst we are unconscious. I must have just gotten lucky for once and been spared a bad dream about the war. It's a little concerning to know that even Jedi younglings who have not so much as glimpsed a piece of the war can have bad dreams about it.

After doing some routine stretches, I retrieve my day wear and change in the 'fresher, making sure to do all the necessities before I return to my room. My chrono says that it is twenty past six already, meaning that I took more time than I realised to get ready for the day. Not wanting to miss out on a big breakfast, I quickly snatch my datapad off of the bedside table and stuff it into my pocket before half walking half running out of the room. There's only one day left until my competition and I don't want to waste too much time staying in my room and dragging my feet around.

Unlike yesterday, when I enter the mess hall I can see that the twins have taken up their usual spot on a table to the right of the room. They smile at me as I come in and I hastily get my breakfast before joining them at their table. Todays breakfast is slightly different from the others that we usually have. I don't think I've ever known the temple to break routine before. Today we have water and porridge which makes me wonder if our food budget has been cut or something. Why would they be giving us this cheap stuff when they could just use food replicators? The Jedi masters are always telling us to have big meals so that we have enough energy to complete the tasks expected of us in our Jedi training. As far as I know, water and gloopy porridge does not count as a good meal for breakfast.

"Morning, 'Soka." The twins chorus. "How was your day yesterday?"

"It was okay, I guess." I say, if 'okay' covers being teleported from one place to another. "Where were you two yesterday? Hanging around the turbolift all day?"

They snort. "If only," Kay grumbles. "No. We had a test that took us the whole day to complete because of the revision we were forced to do. What did you do?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Just practiced saber combat for the competition."

"Oh yeah, your competition's tomorrow isn't it?" Jay asks. "Good luck, 'Soka. Make sure you get that git Slimo for us won't you?"

A smirk works its way onto my face. "He won't know what's hit him." I promise.

"You wouldn't happen to know what happened to him yesterday, would you?" Kay questions with a frown on his face.

Yesterday? Nope. Absolutley nothing happened that would have made me want to watch out for him, other than his training saber exploding for 'no reason' and Anakin teleporting me away from him to right outside his door. "No." I lie. "Why?"

"He's been running around the temple telling everyone who will listen that you tried to kill him by setting off an explosion in the south-east wing even though there's no evidence of an explosion anywhere in the temple. Honestly, sometimes I think that we play too many pranks on him. The idiots finally lost his mind."

Somehow I think that all of the strange things going on around me are what's causing Slimo to lose his mind, not that I'm going to tell anyone else that. It's a wonder that neither of the twins have brought up the issue about what happened in the vents and in the room of a thousand fountains, though they might just be respecting my feelings by not pressuring me to talk about it. I have absolutely zero ideas on what happened in both places and there is no reason for me to even bother thinking about it still. Hiding a grimace at the thought of what happened those two times, I do my best to eat my breakfast without gagging on the disgusting porridge that's flavour is worsened by the water.

Jay coughs deliberately from his seat and I raise my head to look at him only to see that he is not looking at me. I cannot help but think that life is so cruel when I see that he is glaring at someone behind me. Someone who, unfortunately, turns out to be Slimo. I turn around to look at him instead of sense him. Eye contact has always helped me figure out when someone is going to attack more than the force though I do try to get a mixture of the two just to be sure.

"Tano."

Why is it that he always greets me that way? It's like he wants me to give him a reason to hate me, not that he doesn't have enough already in his mind. After all, he is the worst bully that I know of.

"What do you want, Slimo?" I ask with narrowed eyes.

His glare increases a few notches, probably because he just doesn't like me, and he bares his teeth a little. It doesn't work so well if you don't have teeth that are mostly all canines. "I want you to know that those pesky friends of yours won't be able to keep you safe. I don't know what you did to my training saber but you won't get away with it. You will be punished."

Before I can so much as speak, the twins are out of their seats and move so that they are in front of me. "You want to say that again?" Jay asks threateningly.

Slimo scoffs at them. "Should I be frightened by you losers?" He is really getting on my nerves now so I stand also. A few people are looking are way now and this could very easily become an all out fight and our place in the order would most definitely be at stake.

"Don't bother with him," I tell the twins. "He's not worth it."

Slimo snarls. "I'm worth more than you'll ever be, Tano." He growls and I really consider the option of punching him until he can't so much as utter a word. However, I don't get the chance.

It might have been because of the fact that the twins were standing in front of me. It might have been the fact that they shoved me back into my seat at the same moment they sat down on either side of me with protective expressions, or it might have been the fact that there were about a hundred plates, cups and pieces of cutlery flying through the air that prevented me from doing it. Now, I'll admit that when Jedi younglings get angry we often use the force by accident but whoever did this seriously needs to meditate and get a grip on their emotions. I know it wasn't me, because I think I would notice something like that, and the twins didn't move a muscle apart from the sitting down thing.

My mind is barely able to comprehend what is going on in front of, and over, me right now. One moment we were just arguing and making threats to one another the next every thing that wasn't attached to something was flying in the air. Common sense has us all ducking under the tables and taking cover whilst the commotion over our heads is making some of the younger initiates scared. I head for the door, the most sensible option, with the twins right on my tail and we manage to avoid being hit by any of the projectiles flying through the air and get out of the mess unscaved.

We run through the corridors until, coincidentally, we reach the one that I have been using for the past three weeks to get to and from Anakin's room. I don't really know why I decided that this was a good place to stop, maybe it just feels like the safest place for me to be and was the closest to Anakin that I could get without taking the twins with me so I subconsciously thought this was a good place to stop. We've been running for about three minutes, since the mess hall isn't directly linked to this corridor, and the speed at which we were running means that we have used up a lot of energy. The only sound in the empty corridor is our heavy breathing and I repeatedly thank the force for making this corridor one of the frequently deserted ones.

"What... in the hell... was that?" Kay gasps out through his desperate breathing.

I swallow and shake my head thoroughly, still breathing heavily. "No idea," I manage to say. "I couldn't sense who did it. Did you?"

They both shake their heads. "There were so many people in the room and I could only sense something strange through the force when it happened." Jay replies. "I hope everyone else got out okay. It wasn't exactly my main priority to be checking after we'd gotten out of there."

Before I can even respond to that they both stiffen for a fraction of a second before tackling me to the ground. Why they did it I have no idea, but my gut is telling me that the saber which just sailed past our heads has something to do with it. It's green blade misses us by inches and I am able to forgive and forget the fact that I have been crushed under the weight of both the twins. Simultaneously, they both roll off of me and jump to their feet to face whoever it is that has thrown the saber at us. I am in the process of getting to my own feet when I have to duck under the saber as it comes back around and sails through the air with the twins doing the same thing.

When I am able to stand, this time without needing to duck under any oncoming lightsabers, I can see the person who has attacked us. It's a wonder that I didn't sense them first, though that was probably because I was distracted, and I immediately wish that we had not taken a path that went past one of the main corridors from the halls of healing. The reason for that? Standing in front of us are the younglings who attacked us in the room of a thousand fountains. A few have bandages in certain areas such as wrists and arms but other than that they look pretty healthy and the looks on their faces show how much they want to kill us.

I swear violently in my head and glance towards the vent cover to see if it would be a nice escape route. It isn't secured very tightly so we could probably just jump right in and it would swing shut behind us... but then I would have to decide where to hide myself and the twins unless they have any ideas or I give up my secret.

"Well..." Kay says, igniting his lightsaber. "You seem to have healed up nicely."

They growl like a pack of nexus in response. "It's a shame that none of you will heal anywhere near as quickly as we have," The tallest one says with menace.

In an unspoken agreement, the group of younglings lunge forwards and I send a message through the force for the twins to follow me before running and jumping into the vent. It's a small entrance and my head and arms throb slightly from the metal covering hitting them when I dove into the vent but that is really the least of my problems right now. I swear, my life was much less complicated when there was no mention of a competition to see who will get to go and retrieve their lightsaber crystal.

I move to the side just in time for two Corellian humanoids to come sailing through the swinging vent cover and land in a crouched position, from which they straighten up to stand.

"Run?" I suggest when a loud crashing sound indicates the failure of the enemy younglings who have tried to follow us.

The vent cover swings open and we can see the face of a furious, not to mention ugly, youngling.

"Run." The twins agree at the same time before bolting.

I follow them at a sprint and cannot help but notice that the route they are taking leads in the direction of Anakin's room. This day could not possibly get any worse if they decide to barge right into his room and demand an explanation from me when I tell them that he is my mentor. I'll just lie and say that he prefers not to wear a Jedi tunic or something like that. I've discovered that it isn't hard to make up a story for someone that no one knows that well.

The sounds of people entering the vents behind us only make me even more certain that this is the worst day I have ever had to date. First the plates, cups and cutlery go flying around the mess hall like there's a tornado in the room and now we're being chased by some vengeful younglings. The Jedi council should really pay more attention to what the younglings in the temple get up to when the war is over, they'd certainly learn a lot about why there are so many under-achieving younglings.

"We should split up," Kay says when we turn a corner and come to a cross roads in the vents. One direction specifically leads straight to Anakin's room.

"I'll go that way," I immediately offer, pointing to that particular direction.

They nod. "I'll take the right one. Jay, you should take the south one so that they will have to stretch out their numbers, if we're lucky there shouldn't be more than two pursuing any one of us. Once we lose them we'll go to class. 'Soka, you just hide somewhere until they've gone. Got it?"

"Loud and clear."

"Right, see you later."

Wasting no time at all, I run off in my designated direction and sprint at a fast pace so that I can reach Anakin's room as quickly as possible. Once I'm there the younglings won't be able to do a thing and I can only hope that he won't turn them to dust with the wave of a hand. Oh well; Anakin will understand why I don't want them killed or maimed... what am I saying? Anakin won't understand at all. His answer to me telling him about anyone who has ever hurt me is 'who are they' and 'I'm going to kill them if I ever see them'. It's like he wants the galaxy bowing at his feet though I can picture him wanting that very easily.

I run for ten more minutes before I finally slow my pace to a fast walk. There are many things that people know in this world and one of them is this. A breakfast consisting of gloopy porridge and water is not a good enough source of energy when I am being pursued by blood thirsty younglings out for revenge about something that nobody can explain. Actually, Anakin could probably explain what happened but he isn't very forthcoming with his knowledge about things like that when he doesn't want to be. The amount of secrets he has could outweigh those of a professional bounty hunter any day of the week.

After fifteen minutes of walking at the pace of a five year old running, I come to a stop at the vent cover which leads into the corridor with Anakin's room at the end and stretch out my senses through the force to see if those younglings are still after me. I find something that I did not expect and quickly shield my force presence when I realise that I am sensing the presences of Master Plo and Master Windu. They are both in Anakin's room for some reason. I mentally slap myself when I realise why they are both inside. They are trying to convince Anakin to help them with the dark force wielder.

I know that Anakin won't help them for a lot of reasons but I settle on the main two. One; it is illegal for a force wielder to attack another force wielder without being provoked first. Two; it is early in the morning and I know from experience that Anakin is far from a morning person so he will hardly go agreeing to anything when he's grumpy and grouchy. Sure enough, a few minutes later the two Jedi masters exit his room with solemn expressions on their faces. Anakin has quite obviously turned them down again.

The moment they have both passed the vent cover and turned the corner into another corridor, I climb out of the vent and quietly make my way towards Anakin's room just in-case they hear me and come back. When I knock I can sense that Anakin is irritated from inside and he opens the door after a few long seconds of him muttering things that I do not understand from in his room.

"Hey, Snips." Anakin greets me when he opens the door and I walk inside. "You're a little early, aren't you?"

I shrug my shoulders. "There were a few problems that made me come earlier than I would have thought."

He archs both eyebrows. "What kind of problems?"

Unable to help myself, I shift nervously on my feet. "Well... those younglings from the room of a thousand fountains chased me and the twins so we had to split up and I came here because it seemed like the safest place to be," I explain. "What did you say to Master Plo and Master Windu?"

It's his turn to shrug his shoulders. "Nothing much, just that I wouldn't help them kill one of my own kind and any other excuses I could come up with. Now, go back to what you were saying about those younglings."

"They attacked me and the twins but we escaped through the vents, split up and I came here. None of them were able to keep track of me so everything's fine."

Anakin snorts. "Fine? It'll be fine when you teach those little termites to stay away from you. A good beating should do it."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever," I say. "What are we going to do today?"

He frowns in thought for the few seconds that it takes for him to come up with a schedule for the day. I swear Anakin's brain runs a mile a minute. "First we have breakfast. Those Jedi masters of yours woke me up and I haven't had anything to eat yet and I can sense that you haven't had a very good breakfast."

"Tell me about it." I mumble.

"Then we'll just do a final run through of everything before I send you back to your room at eight for an early nights sleep."

At least he knows what he's doing. "Okay, that doesn't sound so bad." I say. "What's for breakfast?"

"Either pancakes, eggs and bacon or something that I come up with whilst I'm in the kitchenette." Anakin replies. "Go and sit in the lounge. I'll be there in a minute or so."

Pancakes, eggs and bacon or something that he comes up with whilst he's in the kitchenette? Sounds a hell of a lot better than the rubbish I had for breakfast. Well, for the part of breakfast that didn't involve objects flying around the room trying to impale anyone who was in their way. Come to think of it, I didn't see anyone who wasn't hiding under the tables when that fiasco started so there shouldn't be any injuries... should there? Me and the twins got out unharmed so it shouldn't be too hard for some of the more experienced younglings to get the younger ones out without harm.

I sit on one of the sofas in the lounge, the one that I have deemed most comfortable, and wait for Anakin to make whatever it is he thinks is edible. The good thing about Anakin making food, or choosing food in this case, is that he always decides upon the things that taste delicious and far better than anything I eat in the mess hall. Although, now that I think about it, any type of food that doesn't come from the mess hall tastes like heaven to me so I wouldn't be the one to judge in that department. I'm sure I've said that to someone before but right now it just seems like the most sensible thing to remember.

"Take your pick." Anakin says as he walks back into the room with two massive trays of food floating behind him. They both land gently on the coffee table side by side. "I couldn't decide and got too hungry to care."

I nod in response. "I can see that."

On the trays are loads, and I mean loads, of pieces of toast, eggs, bacon, a wide variety of fruits and some bread rolls. His stomach must go into overdrive when he's woken up early because I don't think I've ever seen him eat this much food before. True, Anakin does eat more than the average person but he's never eaten this much around me. Jedi don't eat this much, no where near, but I don't really know anyone outside of the order and I can only assume that most people eat way less than two trays of food for breakfast... right? Oh well, one day I'll figure out exactly how much food it is normal for people to eat instead of the Jedi average. That is, when I'm a padawan I'll figure it out and I just know that I will be a padawan. I have to be.

I decide to play it safe and pick up a piece of toast. "What exactly are we going to do today? Because you weren't very specific when you told me at the door."

"Polish everything off." Anakin replies. "Plus you need more practice with your lightsaber. That reverse grip is just... terrible."

I narrow my eyes at him. "It isn't 'terrible', just uncommon. Besides, it's worked well for me so far and I'm not about to change my fighting style any time soon."

Anakin rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well, we'll see."

Like he's going to get me to change the way I wield a lightsaber. I resist the urge to make another of my 'snippy comments', as he calls them, and continue to eat. It takes around an hour just to finish of the massive meal, which I'm sure Anakin loved judging by the look on his face, and he conjures up a hologram projector with the map of the competition area being displayed. I still don't know where in the universe he got it but I'm not about to ask since it might be my only hope of staying alive.

"So, how much of what I told you a week ago do you remember?" Anakin asks.

I think for a second. "Turn around the moment the competition starts and run into the forest... that's about it, other than the stuff about acklays and the other creatures in there."

Anakin nods slowly. "Right. Well, I'd better show you all of the places where the challenges and clues are."

* * *

After a long and very intuitive session of Anakin basically telling me what I need to do and where to go to survive the competition, I head back to my room for some sleep. According to Anakin, an early night consists of leaving his room at seven o'clock and going to sleep the moment I get to my room which is a lot earlier than he said the first time.

I am far from tired when I get back to my room at eight o'clock but Anakin gave me something that would ensure I fell asleep before quarter past, force knows why he has something like that on him, so I need to get changed into my sleep wear rather quickly if I don't want to pass out on the 'fresher floor. Casually dumping my datapad on the table, I rush into the 'fresher and get changed at record speeds. Before I know it, I am under the covers of my bed and staring at the chrono. It's ten past eight already and in five minutes I will be sound asleep.

Tomorrow is the day of the competition and I have to get to the hanger by seven-thirty so that Master Yoda can lead us to the place where the competition will be held. I have a sinking feeling that we will be closer to the temple than any place off planet because, as Anakin pointed out, my clan might very well be non-existent by the end and there has to be a well equipped medical centre nearby to treat our wounds.

With one last yawn, I watch as the numbers on the chrono flicker to eight fifteen and my eyes begin to droop at once. Anakin really needs to tell me about all of these 'sleeping remedies' that he has because if this is some kind of drug then it will be picked up by the medical droid who will most definitely be treating me tomorrow. Oh well; I'm tired, it's a big day tomorrow and I'm seconds from sleep. The best thing that I can do right now is hope for the best.


	22. The Competition, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**The Competition, Ahsoka Tano**_

As is the case with most people when they have a big event coming up, the moment I wake up I feel nervous. I had hoped that sleep would give me time to relax and calm down so that I can get my head in the game, as the saying goes, but it seems that the force just won't let me forget even in my sleep. I sit up the moment I wake up because I am simply too nervous to just wait for my body to wake up alone with my mind and I turn off my alarm as I stand up. It's rather odd that in some cases I just wake up feeling full of energy and have the strangest feeling that I've never actually been asleep, just resting my eyes or something along those lines.

With butterflies in my stomach, though I'm sure moths would be a more appropriate animal, I take out a fresh set of my day wear and get changed in the 'fresher. After completing my morning rituals, I retrieve my datapad and walk out of my room so that I may go to the mess hall. Truth be told, nobody has yet said anything to me about what happened yesterday and I haven't heard any rumours because I was with Anakin the whole of yesterday revising everything for the competition.

It doesn't take long to reach the mess hall and when I do I find it just how it always is. No plates, cups and cutlery are on the floor and there is no sign that anything ever happened. I don't think much of it though. The cleaning droids would have dealt with the mess the moment they found out there was any. I get my breakfast with trepidation for I do not want a repeat of yesterday's rubbish. However, my luck appears to have paid off today for breakfast is as it usually is with toast and cereal all the way. Finding a seat isn't at all hard because the twins have already arrived and wave me over to their table to sit with them.

"What happened to you two?" I ask after taking my seat across from them.

Kay shrugs his shoulders. "I lost them after a minute or so and Jay lost them in less time than that. We just hid out in our class whilst we were practising our lightsaber techniques. What about you? We thought they'd caught you when we didn't see you again."

I shake my head. "They didn't catch me, I managed to lose them as easily as you did. I spent my day with my mentor and had an early night because of the competition."

"Good luck." Jay says. "Don't let Slimo get you, not that we expect him to. According to our sources he freaked out yesterday and hid in his room until the afternoon because he was afraid the plates were following him."

Both of the twins snicker whilst I roll my eyes.

"I wonder why he thought that," I muse out-loud.

"Hey, we are professionals." Kay points out with a smug smile. "Besides, he deserved it. What kind of people would we be if we did not defend our best mate? Huh?"

"We'd be Slimos." Jay says, grinning. "That should be the new insult."

"What? Everyone who's stupid are called 'Slimos'?"

"Exactly, my identical twin brother."

Rolling my eyes, again, I start to eat with the twins in a deep debate on how to introduce the new 'insult' whilst keeping all of the embarrassment on Slimo himself. Somehow I don't think anyone is going to pick up on their idea since the word 'slimo' is already a well known insult that was unfortunately, and ironically, given to that git. They continue their conversation for quite some time and I finish my breakfast slowly so as not to miss a word until they reach their decision.

I turn around to look at the chrono and find out that it is just after seven, meaning that I should start going to the hanger to await Master Yoda with the remnants of my clan. Now that I think about them, I haven't seen any of my clan members in the mess hall as much as I have these days other than those few times with Barris. Either they're getting their food from their mentors or they're going without food which I know, from experience, isn't the best way to win any sort of competition.

"I've got to go," I say. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, 'Soka."

"Yeah, good luck 'Soka."

* * *

I was wrong about us being in a place near the Jedi temple. A few parsecs wrong if I'm honest. The moment I got into the hanger I met up with Barris and when the rest of our clan, the ones who weren't injured, arrived we got onto a ship and travelled to... Naboo. It turns out that the queen has agreed to allowing the Jedi order to train it's younglings in certain locations and our competition is being hosted in one of these locations. The ride on the ship was spent mostly in silence for me since I don't know of a thing to talk about when Pedro is glaring at me with ice cold eyes and I am returning the favour to the best of my abilities.

So, that whole thing being well and truly buried, now I am standing on a floating wooden platform in a lake on Naboo. The platforms are chained to the bottom of the lake so that they don't drift off too far and are positioned in a semi-circle around the deepest part of the lake. Anakin's map might have been a tad out-dated because I don't remember this being here before... unless it was the reason for the different colour assigned to it. I'm just going to have to assume that's the reason because right now I have bigger things to be focused on, such as surveying my surroundings like Anakin suggested so I know exactly where in the forest I want to run to.

There's some speakers hidden in specific places around the landscape so that Master Yoda can wish us luck and say when the competition begins. We all found that out when we first heard his voice telling us of the many dangers involved in this competition and that it is a Jedi's write of passage to complete such a task and to retrieve our lightsaber crystals at 'the gathering'. I can't count how many younglings have dreamed of the day when 'the gathering' would come for them but I know that not many of them could have imagined this along with it.

I look to my right and spot a space the size of a doorway in between two hedges. Vaguely, I remember Anakin pointing this out to me and saying that it would close after thirty seconds because it was a shortcut of some kind that cut past the magma figures and giant scorpions. All I have to worry about is the nexus and acklays which does nothing to ease my mind but not having to fight massive scorpions that can paralyze you with one sting of their venom is a good enough reason for me to decide upon that direction being my best bet.

"Three... two... one..." Master Yoda's voice counts down and I brace myself before the sound of a claxon sounds out.

Why they decided upon a claxon I have no idea. All I know is that one moment we are all standing there ready to go, the next several people have dived into the water and the others have started to run off in the direction of the giants. I, on the other hand, run straight for the gap between the two hedges and have to slide underneath a metal grate which appears after the twenty second mark. Skidding to a stop on the other side, I jump to my feet in time to see the ends of the hedges grow closer and seal off the gap so that it seems like it was never there. I can tell that it wasn't done naturally because of the jerky movements off the leaves and the faint sounds of machinery. A lot of time and effort must have gone into this.

Turning back around, I spot a large field through some gaps in the hedge and cautiously walk around the edge so that I can get it all into full view. It's at times like this that I find I am able to truly appreciate the beauty of Naboo... wrong. I've never been to Naboo before and the fact that on the other half of the field is filled with nexus makes my opinion of the planet lessen dramatically. Pure reflex has me ducking down behind the small hill that outlines that entire field and puts the main clearing on a sort of platform where you can see everything on it aside from whatever is hidden in the small patches of tall grass around it.

I shift my body up just enough so that I can peak over the top of the hill to keep an eye on the prowling nexus before shrinking back down and rolling over onto my back whilst I think about ways to get around those beasts and to the pathway that leads to one of the training sabers. There has to be a way; Anakin told me that there are ways to solve every last one of the dangers without getting yourself killed and I intend to find the one that will get me out of trouble this time. I mentally rack my brain for answers... there has to be something, there always is... yes!

Out of the corner of my eye I spot a stone structure surrounded by tall trees and make my way towards it whilst deliberately remaining in a crouched position so the nexus won't see me and decide that my time to die has come a lot earlier than it should have. I silently reach the structure and discover that it is merely a pillar with some writing written on it. Oh well; any of the puzzles is good enough for me considering I have no idea what I am doing right now. All I know is where to go and then to look for the HoloFlag or to just stay alive and out of the way.

On the pillar, engraved on the stone, are the words: What does the brain see with?

I frown and stand still in silence as I read and re-read the words. This makes no sense whatsoever. What does the brain see with? How in the hell should I know? It's a brain it doesn't see anything at all. Well, luckily for me I have a datapad that can work this out for me. It takes far less time than I would have guessed for my datapad to give me an answer and I have no idea what to do with the information.

_The eyes. _

Well, now that I have the answer, I need to find out what to do with it. I look around me for any other clues but find nothing and so look back at the pillar to see if I missed anything. This doesn't make any sense at all. The brain sees with the eyes, I can understand that, but I don't know what to do with the information... wait a minute. My gaze is unconsciously drawn upwards to the statue sitting upon the pillar. It's of a nexu, surprise surprise, and it looks perfectly fine and not out of place if you don't count the fact that it is in the middle of plant life. I use the force to guide me and focus on it's eyes. There are so many of them that I don't know if what I am thinking would even work, but it is the only idea I've got.

Slowly, I lift up my hand to the two eyes in the centre of the stone nexu's head and carefully push them inwards. They both slide inwards with a small _click _and a small hatch on one of the trees opens to show some sort of meat. Meat that absolutely stinks. I'm not sure what to do with it. Do I use it to lure the nexus away or... I inwardly curse myself and jump up onto another of the trees so that I may hide. The meat smells that bad to me because I am a Togruta and my senses are more enhanced than most species. A nexu has even better senses when it comes to sight and smell so the first thing it will do when something like this is exposed is head straight for it. Right now I am seriously questioning the Jedi's teaching methods because this is what a Jedi master should be doing, not eleven year old younglings.

I move so that I am hidden behind the very large trunk of the tree just as the nexus come pouring into the small space like a herd of hyper-active shaaks. Without hesitation, I jump over the hedge and run as fast as I can towards the pathway which leads to one of the training sabers when I spot another youngling entering the field. It's Byph and she doesn't appear to have even noticed me so I just continue running until I have turned a corner and come to a long dirt path that curves around a cliff. There isn't that big of a drop at the bottom but it is far enough to tell me that I should avoid the possibility at all costs.

Sensing that there is no one nearby, I take my time to observe my surroundings whilst I walk along the path at a casual pace. The sky of Naboo is clear and peaceful, not at all filled with the many ships and speeders like the sky of Coruscant. The plants are greener than anything I have ever seen in the Jedi temple and the temperature is warm with a gentle breeze that cools me down when things get a little too warm. I've heard people say things about Naboo being one of the most beautiful planets in the galaxy but I don't think I've ever really believed them. Heck, I still don't believe them. Having only been on two planets, and Shilli which I can't remember, I don't really want to make any decisions until I've seen every single planet. I'm not sure if that ever will happen, though, because the Jedi masters say that nobody has ever seen every single planet and star out there.

I stop dead in my tracks when I hear a growling noise behind me and slowly, very slowly, turn my head to see what is behind me with growing dread. The dread, unfortunately, is well placed because one of the nexus is stood a fair distance away from me yet is clearly deciding on the best way to kill me and eat me for lunch.

"Oh no..." I say to myself. "Not good."

It's body curls up into an attack position and I weigh my options. Nexus are fast, naturally, as they are predators but I could make it to the gap on the pathway easily before it would reach me and then hide somewhere. There really is no contest here. Do I stay and get eaten or do I run and hide? It's pretty damn obvious which one I'm going to choose now, isn't it?

Without taking my eyes off the animal, I back away slowly and wait until I am relatively close to the junction in the path before turning on my heel and bolting. I can hear it chasing after me and curse rather fluently under my breath. Just as it nears me, I sprint around the sharp corner and crash into something else coming the other way. To be honest, it was actually some_one_ else that I had forgotten I sensed when I was running for my life. Yes; I have landed on top of my best friend Barris Offee and she doesn't seem too happy about it, not that that's surprising.

"Ahsoka, what...?"

"No time. Get up and run; there's a nexu after me." I explain in one short breath.

I get up and pull Barris up to her feet before leading her towards a small crevice in the rock face that is hidden by some large branches. After shoving her inside and crawling inside myself, I pull the branches back and lean all the way back against the rough surface of the crevice whilst the nexu rushes past. Anakin must have messed up when he told me that nexus can smell their prey a mile away because it just went past us as if we didn't have any sort of distinct scent at all.

"Where did that come from?" Barris asks after a minute of silence. "There aren't any nexus in the field over there any more. Someone set off the trap that kept them all in an enclosed space fighting over that meat."

"I know," I reply. "That was me. One must have gotten out or not gone for the meat though I have no idea why they wouldn't."

Barris nods. "So, where were you headed?"

"Training saber. You?"

"Training saber."

I nod slowly in acknowledgement and remove the branches from in front of the abnormally large crevice to see if there is anything out there that I have not sensed. Thankfully, there is nothing else around and both me and Barris crawl out of the confined space to have a proper look around. I cannot sense any dangers and I cannot see any so my conclusion is that we are safe... for now. So, if my memory is anything to go by, we're close to a large forest area and waterfall with a few animals dotted around the area that aren't harmful. That is the place where I want to be right now, far away from anything even remotely dangerous.

"Maybe, unless we're the last ones left, we should work together?" I suggest. "We don't want to get turned into food for those animals, do we?"

Barris thinks about it for a moment. "That's probably the best idea." She agrees. "Which way should we go?"

"To the forest." I say. "There shouldn't be any dangerous creatures in there. I can't sense any."

"I can't sense any either," Barris comments. "Okay. We'll go into the forest."

Now that that's been decided, we both walk into the forest with a few glances behind us to check for any other possible dangers. The forest is what makes me realise how people could think of Naboo as the most beautiful planet in the galaxy. The sunlight comes shimmering through the leaves with a warm glow and the floor is not a dirty mess of mud but a calm mixture of dirt, twigs and leaves. In the trees are birds and other wonderful animals that make me question the rule of younglings not being allowed out of the temple except for training missions. Should any of these animals be on Coruscant we should be able to go out and see them for ourselves instead of having to make do with HoloImages and holograms.

I can hear the soothing sound of the waterfall from somewhere nearby and the waterfall itself is just about visible through the leaves and branches of the trees to our right. There might be a training saber around here. Anakin wasn't very specific the last time we went over things and he just said that it was in an area around here, maybe in one of the trees or hidden somewhere on the forest floor. Just to make sure, I look around and stretch out my senses through the force. When I don't find anything even remotely useful I sigh and give up. There's no point in wasting my time looking for something that isn't here.

"Any ideas?" I ask Barris.

She looks around for a moment. "Maybe we should try and find a training saber?"

"Or maybe the training saber's already been found." A snide voice from behind us says and we whirl around simultaneously.

I have to prevent myself from swearing at the top of my voice when I see who it is. Why does he always manage to just pop up at every turn? Anakin had better be able to use his force wielding powers long range because I'm not sure how long I am going to be able to put up this dunder head piece of poodoo.

"Slimo." I say coldly.

He smirks at us at makes a point of twirling the already ignited training saber in his hand. "No precious twins to save you now, Tano. This is a free-for-all, after all."

I would have made a very rude retort had it not been for one thing that chose this exact moment to appear. "Yeah," I agree. "_Or_ you could be focusing on the acklay behind you."

"Acklay?" He repeats stupidly and turns around.

The distraction is enough for me to grab Barris and run. There wasn't actually and acklay behind him, it was just an animal that resembled an acklay in colour. From experience I know that Slimo is stupid enough to actually believe that the animal is a weird mutation of an acklay and that he needs to stun it with the training saber or run. We both run, with me leading, towards the waterfall and skid to a stop when we reach a sheer drop at the edge. The waterfall is right beside us and I spot a small, rickety old bridge on the other side of it a good ways down from where we are. I'm not sure how to reach it but I do know that Anakin said it was like the pathway to the training saber which Slimo now has. At least, I think he has that training saber.

I turn around when the force warns me of danger to see a rather humiliated looking Slimo with a look of sheer anger on his face. It could easily rival hatred but I doubt the observation would do me much good at the moment. He doesn't waste any time in raising his hand and using the force to shove us both over the edge of the cliff. We've been trained about what to do in these situations so I reach out with one hand to grab the edge of the rocks and the over shoots out to grab Barris' hand before she falls and, most likely, dies since there is a massive drop beneath us. I've probably thought about this a lot of times but my mind can't help but go over it again. The Jedi order really needs to re-think it's training exercises because this is not training, it's death-defyingly _real_.

"Barris," I say, holding onto her hand tightly. "Barris... just... hold on, okay?"

"I don't think the fall is what you should be worried about, Ahsoka." Barris says, nodding her head towards something above me.

Turning my head, I snarl when I see that it is Slimo with a look of triumph on his face and bare my predator teeth at him. I'm not a Togruta for nothing. He hasn't looked this happy about winning in years. The only other time I can remember Slimo actually being 'happy' was when he finally defeated the only person in the class who opposed him. Unfortunately, that person is now me.

"Something wrong, Tano?" Slimo says mockingly as he raises his training saber over his head.

I close my eyes tight, turn my head away and brace myself for the impact that... never came. Confused, I open my eyes again and look back to where Slimo is standing. Correction, where Slimo _was_ standing. Yes, of all the weird and wacky things that happen around me this has to hit spot number one. One moment he looks like the evil rancor he is, the next he looks like a frightened little two year old. Why does he look like a frightened little two year old? I can't even believe what I see myself, not to mention the fact that I can sense Barris' pure shock through the force and the way her hand tightens around mine.

It's the water... _again_. I'm beginning to think that me and water don't mix well, or the water and Slimo, because the waterfall has literally just decided that it doesn't want it's water to fall. No, no. It wants its water to shoot out straight towards all of us in a tidal wave. Slimo is knocked clean off his feet whilst me and Barris get completely drenched from the water that goes over the edge. When the water finally does stop, I use my arm to lift myself and Barris up just enough so that I can get her hand onto the ledge for her to pull herself up.

We both get up at the same time and just stand there in silence for several long, tense moments. Slimo is gone, obviously, and I have no idea as to whether he is alive or not. The ground is _dry_ for some unknown and miraculous reason and there are large puddles forming on the spots where both of us are standing. Now, I've seen my fair share of strange things going on but this coupled with what happened in the vents and the room of a thousand fountains is enough to tell me that Anakin has something to do with this. He said he would be watching over me in the competition so this was quite obviously him, meaning that he knows about those things that happened in the temple. I am going to absolutely kill him when I get back.

"What was that?" Barris asks, breaking the silence.

I can only shake my head in response. "I don't know," I say truthfully. "But, whatever it was, it stopped us both from becoming splatters on the ground."

Silence resumes for a few more seconds and I find myself constantly staring at the spot where Slimo most likely fell off of the cliff.

"We should go," Barris says. "Being around here if another of those waves comes around wouldn't be a good idea."

"You're right, we should go, but where? We can either go back the way we came or take our chances with the waterfall. Besides, it's not like there's anything to gain from going back the way we came."

Barris sighs. "Then we will have to go through the waterfall, it seems."

Our decision made, we begin the difficult task of climbing down the slippery and soaked rock face beside the waterfall. It's harder than people make it out to be just to climb on a few rocks when the possibility of you slipping and falling are around one hundred and fifty-six to one. We get to the rocks just before the clear pathway leading to the wooden bridge when the force warns me of danger and I turn just in time to see Barris lose her grip and fall over the edge.

"Barris!" I shout but it is already too late.

I rush to the edge in time to see her fall onto a grassy ledge and become very, very still. Dread rushes over me but I don't have any time to help her since I just found out the real reason that the force sent me the warning. A very drenched and very angry looking Slimo is standing at the top of the rocky hill with a snarl on his face. I throw myself to the floor in order to avoid his saber throw and press myself further into the ground to avoid the saber as it comes back around and returns to his hand.

Getting to my feet, I jump down the last few rocks and run at full speed towards the wooden bridge. I may not be able to fight back without a training saber, though if I was at full strength I would be able to give it by best shot, but I can definitely make sure Slimo has to take his precious time to find me. Unable to stop myself, I skid on the wet floor and collide with the rocky cliff face at a sharp turn and curse out loud at the pain. My arms have cuts and scraps on them and my side hurts from the way it hit the jagged surface.

I can feel Slimo's stupid smirk through the force more than I can see it and I run out onto the wooden bridge before coming to a very abrupt stop when I see that there is already someone on the other side... with the other training saber. Well, this is just perfect. I've been cornered by Slimo and Pedro who I am positive still has a mountain sized grudge against me because apparently I was the one who attacked those members from our clan. I can picture the ones surveying the competition now, all feeling sorry for me for getting cornered by probably the only two people left. It is rather easy to tell that they are the only ones left for otherwise the others would have sensed us and come running for a fight.

_Jump!_

A voice in my head shouts. A voice that, suspiciously, sounds exactly like Anakin. Jump? I look over the side of the bridge at what is below. There is a thick, white fog blocking my view and the force isn't being very precise about telling me what's down there. To make matters worse, the feeling in my chest that makes me feel like I'm about to burst has come back and is making me feel even worse than I already do.

I look from one opponent to the other and see that they are both preparing to throw their training sabers at me. Right now I have two choices. Jump and get myself killed or stay and get myself killed in the most humiliating way possible. Then again, training sabers only stun so what's the harm in me staying and then waiting to see who the winner of the competition is?

_Jump now!_

Gulping in nervousness, I vault the rope on the wooden bridge and pause to take a few breaths. This gives them both time to throw their sabers before I jump off of the bridge. The force then sends me a warning and if I wasn't falling I would have rolled my eyes. It chooses now to send me a warning? Where was it five minutes ago! A loud bang startles me but there's not much I can do about it when I'm in mid air. Without me there, the training sabers collide in mid air and explode. It's not just a 'oh dear they exploded' kind of explosion. It's a 'run like hell and don't look back' kind of explosion.

The next things that happen go by in a blur. The shockwave of the explosion send me towards the ground even faster than the first time and I am too dazed to slow my descent with the force. I hit a rock first and grunt in pain as I roll down on the floor with the white fog above me. There is blood, my blood, and I feel more dizzy than when I ran around in circles for hours when I was six. It's like my bodies about to go into shutdown mode and I have to fight to stay awake.

I lift my head and see none other than the HoloFlag. My sensible side tells me to just get the flag and end the competition whilst my normal, more usually used side tells me to curse the people who put the flag down here into oblivion. It isn't even a flag, it's just a hologram shaped like a flag that, when you touch it, signals that the game is over and... I don't really know what happens after that. Slowly, I get to my feet and clutch my side as pain lances through my body with the instant effect of making me legs weaken and shake with the effort of keeping my body up.

With every intent of ending the game, I stumble forwards towards the flag and think that things might be looking up when I am force pushed forwards to the spot right in front of the flag. My eyelids become heavy and begin to droop when I prop myself up on my elbows and turn my body to see who is behind me. It's Slimo. He looks like he got the safer side of the explosion since he just has a cut on his cheek and his face is covered in soot. The feeling like I'm going to burst returns again and intensifies to such a degree that I have to clench my fists so as not to cry out in pain. What is wrong with me?

He stalks closer to me with eyes that spit fire and nothing but his hands for weapons. The force alerts me at once to the fact that he is going to strangle me, or worse, beat me to within an inch of my life. I have no idea what to do and no idea how I am going to escape as he stops just a few feet in front of me when my body takes on a mind of it's own.

My left arm comes up of it's own accord so that my palm is outstretched and facing Slimo. My eyes half-close as a stream of pure white light erupts from it and goes straight towards him. It hits him square in the chest and his cry of pain and shock makes me think right away of one thing. Don't kill him. That's all I can think about, not killing him. Slimo doesn't deserve this and probably needs to have a good near death experience but I'm not in control of what is happening right now.

The last thing that I know of in my conscious thought is my arms dropping, the darkness closing in and me dropping down from my one elbow to the floor. I hear a loud beeping sound before all thought ends and I am submerged in the pull of the force.


	23. Medicine, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Medicine, Ahsoka Tano**_

I wake up slowly. Very, very slowly and I have to literally force myself to stay awake. There is no alarm clock this time and no Master Plo helpfully shaking me awake like he always does when I over-sleep and he senses that I am not yet up. I don't open my eyes at first because they feel far too heavy for me to open and then I keep them shut for another reason entirely. The smell of the place I am in is all too familiar for me because I cannot even remember the amount of times I have been here due to some prank with the twins or a short-cut to class that went very, very badly. That was the only time that Master Plo told me not to use any ideas that I had and that advice did not go very well for me when it came to my next class. Now that I think about it, that was probably one of the funniest moments of my life seeing Master Plo exasperated at me taking what he said so seriously.

So, I'm in the halls of healing. I don't put too much effort in remembering how I got here since it isn't exactly a rare occurrence and instead put all of my energy into forcing my eyes open. It takes way more effort than you'd expect, especially since my body hurts all over from something that I don't try to remember just yet. After many, many failed attempts which almost make me go right back to sleep I manage to open my eyes and jump ten feet in the air when I spot Barris watching me intently. Yes, I managed to be jumpy even in my layed down position. Rule one hundred and twenty-three of life's funny little tricks is that whenever you wake up to someone watching you there is something wrong. It is either with you or with someone else or you have to do something that will make your day boring.

"Um..." I'm not entirely sure what to say to her since the last thing I remember was her falling off a cliff.

Barris gasps as she sees I'm awake, must have been in her own world. "Ahsoka!" She exclaims. "You're awake! They said you would be unconscious for at least one more day."

I frown. "They... who?"

"The Jedi healers, of course." Barris explains. "Ahsoka, can you remember anything about what happened? Can you remember about the competition?"

I nod. "Of course I can. We ran off in different directions, I got chased by a nexu and met up with you and then Slimo nearly killed us."

"And after that...?"

"Uh... we climbed down the rocks and you slipped over the edge. Slimo caught up with me and then I got to the bridge and was cornered by both him and Pedro. They threw their training sabers at me at the same time and I jumped off the bridge just as they both exploded. Speaking of which, why did they explode?"

Barris shrugs her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Master Plo was talking to the healers about fuses and pressurised containers and so on... you were in a really bad shape when they brought you in, Ahsoka. First with the explosion and then that fall nearly killed you."

Nearly killed me? Well that's certainly a new one. I've been injured lots of times but I don't think I've ever nearly been killed before. To be honest, the explosion didn't feel like it did too much damage to me at first but after the fall I felt like I was about to die so what Barris said actually sounds really plausible. I look down at myself and roll my eyes when I discover that I am covered with a blanket; that does nothing to deter me though since I can both sense and feel where the bandages are on my body. Loads on my arms and legs, along with a cast on my broken right arm, and a very large on around my torso. Surprisingly, there are none on my head but I can feel that there used to be since bandages always leave a strange feeling behind once they are taken off.

"How long have I been out?" I ask Barris, who has a few bandages on herself but not nearly as many as I have.

"A whole week." Barris replies. "Everyone was so worried about you, they just couldn't understand why you wouldn't wake up even for a little bit until they diagnosed you with exhaustion."

"What do you mean by 'everyone'?"

"Hold on. Let me just go and get the twins, I have a feeling you'll understand more if they explain it to you." Barris says before standing up from her chair beside my bed and walking out of the door.

I'm actually rather surprised that I have a room all to myself rather like Katooni does, or did... I don't know I've been out of the action for a week. Then again, if everyone has been as worried about me as Barris says then it's no surprise that they would want to keep me in a room all to myself where they could monitor my health and so on and so forth. Barris walks back into the room with the twins right behind her. They look pale for some reason. I've seen them get ill and stuff because those would be the moments when the younglings of the Jedi temple could breath sighs of relief but they've never once gone pale before.

"Hey, 'Soka." Jay says in greeting as usual but without the usual merriness to it. "How do you feel?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Not that bad." I say truthfully. "You two look pale, are you okay?"

"They've been up for days worrying about you," Barris explains, walking back to her chair and sitting down. "It took a lot of persuasion from the healers just to get them to leave your room. There's two beds set up for them right outside your door."

I arch both my eye-marks in surprise. "You really stayed outside my room?"

"Well, you weren't waking up and we were really worried. That's not even including the fit that the healers had when they found out that you had been allowed to go into that competition with extreme exhaustion." Kay says. "Apparently the medical droid who did those check ups for you right before the competition 'forgot' to mention it to Master Yoda."

"Wait, you mean I have a case of extreme exhaustion and I didn't even know?" I ask. "How is that possible?"

"We don't know, Ahsoka, but it's a miracle that you didn't go down the moment the competition started." Barris comments. "Master Plo was absolutely furious that you didn't realise and he even signed you up for medical lessons for when you go back to classes."

I groan and rest back on the bed. Medical lessons are just so annoying to go to, that's why I dropped out. There are so many different illnesses and such that you can't even diagnose one thing without knowing that it could be three or four other things. Maybe if I'm lucky I can get Master Plo to change his mind and then I won't have to take that ridiculous class.

"So, what happened while I was unconscious? You haven't exactly explained why everyone was 'so worried' apart from the exhaustion thing. What was going on?" I question, looking at each of them in turn.

They all share a brief glance. "Well," Jay begins. "It was really weird, Ahsoka. They brought all of the others in on stretchers and they each got assigned one healer and so on but then you got brought in and... uh... we were waiting for you, you see, and when you were brought in there were two healers with you. We were about to come forwards and ask if you were going to be all right when loads of Jedi masters showed up."

"You should have seen it, Ahsoka, it was like they had gone mad or something. We were told to stand outside but, naturally, we eavesdropped on their conversation. I don't think I've ever known any Jedi's to go that insane before. The first thing that was said when they walked through the door was: 'That light was not a natural force ability.' Do you know what they were talking about?" Kay asks.

"Light? I don't know what they're..." Wait a minute, what am I saying? I can remember it now. Slimo was about to kill me and then that strange light came out of my hand. Master Yoda must have seen it on the hologram and called off the competition. "Oh, that light..." I trail off in deep thought.

Jay gives me a disbelieving look. "You don't mean that thing actually exists!"

"Exist_ed_, past tense. Besides, I have no idea what happened and nobody even taught me about it. Anyway, you were saying about what they did?"

"Oh yeah, right. So, they said that and we didn't know if they'd been hit on the head or something and then they kept talking. It started out with them coming up with ideas about what it might have been and then they started talking about someone training you to do it in a life or death situation just in case. Master Kenobi was called away from a meeting just to give some ideas about what might have happened but we couldn't hear much of what he was saying. Only little things like: 'He must be very concerned for her safety...' and 'I don't know if this was intentional...' It was really weird and we don't know who he was talking about."

No, but I do. This is a very bad thing, a very, very, very bad thing. I am going to be in so much trouble when they realise that I am awake and come in to question me, that's what they always do and I know they will. Okay, this is not the greatest day of my life but I've had worse. What can they do to me for just going to visit Anakin? On the bright side, Master Kenobi seems to know that I didn't actually plan on doing that impossible thing with the white light so things can't be as bad as I think they will be. I even out my breathing in an attempt to calm myself since the effects of both that news and the medication that I was so obviously given, judging by the taste in my mouth.

"He was probably just talking about a friend of mine," I mumble. "Did the healers say how soon I would be able to leave?"

"At least two days more after you woke up and they said that in all that time no Jedi are allowed back into this room apart from us since we don't go crazy and create so much friction through the force that it will disturb your recovery. Those were the words that the healers used _exactly_." Kay says.

I smirk at the idea of the healers telling it straight to the Jedi masters. It makes me wonder whether or not they left my room willingly or were forced out by two very annoyed Jedi healers with syringes for weapons, now that is a very entertaining thought. Although, I didn't know that causing minor disturbances in the force with things like going crazy over such a common thing like... a beam of light emitting from somebodies hand who walked right into a force wielders room one day and who's behaviour was more than suspicious. Oh dear force, I am _so_ going to be in trouble for this. I have two days at least to get ready for whatever questions they throw my way so maybe in that time I can come up with a valid reason.

"Right... so what do we do now? There isn't much I can do when I'm like this, is there?" I ask rhetorically.

"Well... the healers did say that they wanted you to get used to walking again but they said it wouldn't be a good idea for you to even try until after they'd done a final check-up. That's going to be happening tomorrow and we really don't want to get caught doing something that would make the healers angry because those Jedi masters really got on their nerves. I never knew that five Jedi masters could be so much trouble." Jay comments.

Barris rolls her eyes. "I'll never understand how the three of you made friends," She mumbles. "Master Plo suggested that you do things to take your mind off what happened in the competition right before you won."

"Woah, hang on. Did you just say that I _won?_" I ask with wide eyes.

"Well, of course you did. Didn't you hear the beeping that signalled the end of the competition?"

I nod slowly. "Yes, but I thought that was just Master Yoda ending it because of what happened."

"Speaking of which, what actually _did_ happen in there, Ahsoka?" Kay asks curiously. "What was that 'light' they were talking about?"

Oh dear, this is the exact subject that I wanted to avoid. What do I tell them? I can't very well just explain that one day I was running from the only three bullies who could rival Slimo's cruelty and that I walked right into a room housing one of the most powerful being in the galaxy, can I? Nope, not an option. Let's see, what are the best cover stories I can come up with? Something to do with a torch... no... something to do with the sun of Naboo... no... bingo!

"There was this strange light that came from the wall and blinded us both. I fell unconscious and didn't really see what happened to Slimo. Speaking of which, how is that slimy git?"

"He's... not so good. The healers paid as much attention to him as they did to you if not more. There was this really strange energy radiating off of him that stopped him from healing and then the healers were diagnosing him and noticed that you had the same thing except it was different. What they said in a simple way was that the energy protected you and nearly killed Slimo in a very quick way and that there had to have been something holding it back. It's still a big mystery to us though." Barris says.

"It's a mystery to me, too." I say truthfully. "Can we not talk about it any more? It's giving me a huge headache."

"You're not the only one," Jay grumbles. "The healer assigned to you said that you could play some board games with us to get your mind working more clearly."

I raise one eye mark. "How am I supposed to play board games with only one arm?" I ask before frowning. "Wait a minute..." Shifting my body around slightly, I manage to move my left arm up so that it is above the sheets and groan. It's bandaged at the wrist which means that I've either broken it or sprained it. "I can hardly use this arm either." I say sadly. "You do realise that I won't be able to win, right?"

Kay smiles mischievously. "Of course, why do you think we agreed to play them with you?"

Rolling my eyes, I put all of my energy into getting into the more comfortable of the seated positions and cringe at the amount of bandages on my stomach. It's that amount that's given to people who's stomachs have split open and I really hope that isn't what happened with mine. I am fairly certain that I would remember if I had any serious injuries like that and I definitely wouldn't have been able to make my way towards the HoloFlag if I had an injury _that_ serious but I was covered in a lot of bruises and blood so maybe I just had one too many cuts on my torso and stomach.

"Let's play four player galactic life," Jay suggests. "It's really fun because of the dare cards."

"How am _I_ supposed to do those dares?" I ask. "Wait, aren't you still hurt too Barris?"

She shakes her head. "No, my wounds healed a few days ago. I just have to get some bandages taken off and that's it."

Wow; a fall like that and her wounds are healed quicker than mine? What am I saying? Barris didn't have to go through a fall _and_ an explosion and then have this freakish white light come out of her hand when she was about to be beaten to death by Slimo. I really needed to be more careful in the competition... even though I got caught in between two dorks who just wouldn't quit with their stupid ways. On another thought, I wonder what happened to dear old Pedro? It can't have escaped his notice that I had gotten as much attention as Barris and the twins said that I have unless he was caught in the explosion in an even worse way than me and Slimo. He can't possibly of been at the heart of the explosion since that was exactly where I was although I did manage to jump at Anakin's voice... that reminds me, I need to ask him about that when I see him next.

It takes a few minutes for the twins to run to their room, retrieve the game of 'galactic life' and come back to set it all up with another five minutes to get everything ready. As much as I hate the hastle involved with setting up a game like 'galactic life', it is one of the best games in the galaxy. The title makes you think that it is simply a game about the normal life of a normal person, except it's not. Think of it as the game where the person you play is a dare-devil who constantly humiliates themselves and much more. I can still remember the first time I played the game; I ended up hanging upside down from a rope in the gym for a dare when Master Plo walked in and I fell off in surprise. That was one of my worse moments in life.

Of course, this time around I can't do most of the dares which means that I can finally enjoy the humiliation of my friends without consequences. When it gets to only three moves in I am clutching my sides from laughter at a ridiculous dare that Kay is performing at the moment. I cannot believe my luck when I picked up a dare for him specifically entitled 'Blue Haired Hand-stand'. It is exactly what is says in the title, no questions asked.

"Oh dear force, bro. That is the best thing you have ever done!" Jay exclaims through his laughter.

Kay, who is also laughing at his own humiliation, replies. "You've already said that three times, Jay. Choose another catch phrase already."

Jay shrugs his shoulders. "Okay. That's the forceist trick in the book."

"What?"

"Next move! 'Soka, go!"

I smirk at how he changes the subject and roll the dice on the board. A four and three which means the my piece moves to... oh no. Casting a vicious glare at the twins who are smirking, I look back at the game board. Seven spaces means that I have to move to the ultimate dare space that I have only ever landed on once before in my whole time playing this game and that was the worst dare I ever did. Seriously, the twins are like the pranksters with futures that nobody else has since no other Jedi youngling that I know can prank Master Kota and get away without being found out or punished. That particular blame went on Master Kota's unfortunate padawan and I heard from the twins the very next day that the padawan had been assigned library duty for 'acting un-Jedi like'.

"Oh Ahsoka, what should we make you do?" Jay asks rhetorically with a mischievous smirk. "Hm... let me think..."

"This is going to be the death of me," I grumble under my breath.

Kay snorts. "Yeah, like you didn't do a good enough job of trying already." He comments sarcastically. "Let's see here, we've already had you make noises and really questionable faces... what else is there?"

I groan and lean back on the bed with my head resting on the pillow so that I may stare up at the ceiling in exasperation. For a few long and anxious minutes I wait for Jay, Kay and Barris to decide upon the dare that they want me to complete when the sound of muffled voices from outside the door reaches our ears; I don't actually have any ears but that's not the point. From the looks on my friend's faces they cannot hear the voices clearly enough to determine exactly who is talking but as a Togruta I have various enhanced senses and this includes my hearing. My stomach knots itself in my nervousness as the news of exactly who and what they're arguing about on the other side of the door sets in.

It's Master Kenobi and he's arguing with the healer about being let into my room... this is not good. Not good, not good, not good.

Whilst ignoring the three other's who are straining to hear what is going on, I inwardly curse at how persuasive and calm Master Kenobi is coming across as. The healer will surely give in at any moment since the excuses have gone from strong to weak and I can sense the inner turmoil now involved with keeping him out. So, instead of panicking in the traditional way, I start thinking up a million excuses and then discarding them one by one as I search for one to give the Jedi master when he eventually gets inside despite the healers' original orders.

Excuse number one: it was a trick of the light.

Excuse number two: I had a torch hidden in my hand.

Excuse number three: it was all Slimo and nothing to do with me.

Wow, I am _so_ rubbish at coming up with excuses for things that have happened to me. Though now that I think about it, how many people have had to come up with excuses for something like visiting a force wielder against the councils wishes and then doing a strange thing involving beams of light coming out of their hands. I'm just going to have to either tell the truth or say nothing and let them guess which is the worst idea I have had yet. The council don't really have very good ways of filling in the blanks as it shows with how the twins' prank on Master Windu went down.

Then, to my relief, a second healer's voice spoke loud and clear: "I am sorry, Master Kenobi, but Ahsoka Tano must get some sleep right now and I was just about to go into the room to get her friends to leave. You may speak with her when we release her from the ward."

A murmured response that even I cannot hear and the sound of retreating foot falls makes me sigh quietly in relief. I have dodged the bullet again but it's obvious that I won't be able to do so for long. They don't call Master Kenobi 'the negotiator' for nothing.


	24. Power, Starkiller

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Power, Starkiller**_

The planet of Christophsis is one of the most fought over planets in this war between the republic, backed by the Jedi, and the separatists, backed by the sith. It's a very odd situation since many have believed that the almighty Jedi order would be able to handle two enemies easily but their weakness has been proved more times than I care to count. I myself have already disposed of a Jedi master and his padawan on Alderaan and the pure satisfaction recieved from their demies is more than I could have ever dreamed it to be. When Lord Sidious assigned me to the task of taking back the planet from the republic I accepted eagerly for there will most certainly be a Jedi around to try and save the citizens from falling under the rule of the separatists.

Recalling my orders from Lord Sidious, I position all of the droids at my disposal in the key locations were the offending clone's will be stationed to try and retake this planet. My orders are to eliminate any and all who oppose the separatist rule and to take no prisoners unless it is the Jedi who holds important information about how to bring the republic to it's knees. These orders leave a lot of work to be done for any normal person but I am the all powerful force wielder of the dark side who serves the sith and I can do as I please. That being the case, I have a strategic battle plan which will not only lead to the clones' defeat but to the Jedi's defeat also.

"Sir, the clones are advancing through sector 7-R. Our spies report that General Kenobi is leading them." My command droid informs me.

An evil grin breaks out across my face. "General Kenobi, you say?" I ask rhetorically, my grin getting wider. "I will lead our droids to aprehend him. Make sure that all other sectors are grid-locked so that they will not be able to escape."

_Not that they could escape me anyway..._I finish my sentence darkly in my head.

Surrounding myself in dark force energy, I walk down the steps of the outpost that the droids have chosen a few hours prior to the battle and clasp my hands behind my back. In these situations it is always amusing to see my enemies try to attack me and then to see them realise that I am untouchable. At a calm pace, I continue to walk towards the spot where Kenobi and his forces are trying to break through my defences to claim the planet that the republic has deemed as it's own. There is nothing I enjoy more than crushing the hopes of insignificant little Jedi who believe that the light side will grant them ultimate power when the dark side is where all true potential lies. Even the light itself was created to oppose the dark.

"Line up you grease buckets, the general's moving us out!" My commander shouts to the other droids in that oh so annoying voice those droids share.

I ignore every last pathetic reply that the droids can come up with in their confusion since only five minutes ago were they told that we would be waiting for the enemy and walk straight forwards with an expressionless face. This is a tactic that I tried on Alderaan and I found it to be the most effective strategy for my droid battalion. Walking right towards the enemy with no weapons and a straight face confuses them as it is the nature of most beings in the galaxy to only attack those who appear threatening or hateful. Fortunately for me, I can mask each and every one of my emotions with the force and give off fake ones for confusing the Jedi.

The Jedi on Alderaan were very shocked when I first appeared alongside the droid armies surrounded with black smoke that has become my signature move. At first they believed it to be some separatist trick but when I displayed all of my superior force powers that will one day bring entire worlds to their knees they soon realised that I was all powerful. Their lightsabers did nothing to the smoke when they tried to cut through it and the face of the padawan right before I choked him to death was delicious. Lord Sidious always said that my first time killing Jedi would be the most satisying and now I see that he was right. Any dead Jedi is a good Jedi.

In a select battle formation of my own design, the droids line up and follow me at a faster pace than any normal units since my own are all either super battle droids or pilot droids with enough skill to keep any Jedi busy for a fair few minutes. I specifically requested them from Lord Sidious and Count Dooku for the purpose of winning each and every battle I am faced with without having to place too much strain on my own powers until I have mastered each and every one of them. Power, as Lord Sidious so rightly pointed out, is the foundation of all things. Everything craves it and ultimate power has been the goal of the sith ever since their creation. Now, however, I am closer to gaining ultimate power than any sith has been before and my piers are very pleased with me because of it.

I soon find myself entering sector 7-R and can already see the masses of white armoured clone troopers and their cannons set up around the perimeter. It's quite a sight to behold when there is a small portion of an army that tries to stop someone who could secure all of their deaths with the wave of a hand. You really have to admire the stupidity of some people. Have the Jedi order not figured it out yet after my demonstration on Alderaan? I am invincible. Nothing and no-one in this galaxy can stop me and I will make sure that any who dare to question that will be eradicated in the most painful and gruesome way I can discover.

In the distance I can see the face of the red-headed Jedi master known as Obi-Wan Kenobi watching me with extreme amounts of caution and curiosity. At last, a Jedi who is actually curious about me and does not simply want to see to it that I am destroyed. I might just have a good conversation with this Obi-Wan Kenobi and use the force to invade his mind. It's always good to have some extra information lying around and the old saying goes 'know your enemy'. Speaking of old sayings, I find that most of them are simple statements of fact because of things that happen to people more often than not. I prefer to go by the old sith teachings and to ignore everything that others say since they are all fools.

"Starkiller." General Kenobi takes a few steps forward with his lightsaber ignited. A futile attempt at looking intimidating if you ask me. "I don't suppose you've come here to surrender."

I smirk at him with half a snarl twisting my features. "There is no-one who fights for an honourable cause that would surrender to the likes of you, Jedi scum."

He narrows his eyes and I know that the phrase does not go down well with any sort of Jedi. "Your cause is far from honourable. You come from a place which does not bother with this galaxy and you are abusing your powers to make others suffer."

I narrow my own eyes and snarl darkly. "How do you know about where I come from?"

The Jedi ignores my question and holds up his lightsaber in a threatening position. "Surrender. Now."

My fury and anger that is a constant presence around me rushes forwards and with a loud explosion of force energy I send the Jedi in front of me and all of the clones backwards enough to give me some breathing room. Uh, I could smell the sickly scent of good on the Jedi's essence and it is more nauseating than anything else in existence. The light side has this sickly tinge to it where it makes you feel these unwanted and unneeded emotions that are just down-right pathetic and useless. Anything that is not hate, anger or fear is stupid and pointless unless it is satisfaction or peace of mind for me.

I turn my head slightly towards my droid battalion and shout, "Attack!" before summoning more of my force powers and using my ingenious black smoke to blind and choke ten clones at a time. I don't want the Jedi to be killed just yet because it is always so amusing to watch them choke in front of my armies and be humiliated upon their death when I release them and then choke them once more. The Jedi before him lasted five times before his lungs finally gave out... then again, he was only a padawan and a Jedi master would surely be able to last much longer if not put up a great fight to try and postpone their deaths.

The droids open fire on the clones, whether they are knocked down or manning the cannons, and it is not long before the battle quickly becomes a slaughter with the offending clone battalion being decimated before my very eyes. A hysterical life rips out from my throat and I conjure up even more black smoke to prolong the pain and torture of these biological disasters. They are all the same in body and just replicas, or copies, of the bounty hunter Jango Fett and none will ever be able to match up to the skill of that particular rogue. The Jedi are so pathetic. They don't trust the sons and daughters of criminals and yet they'll use exact copies of the man who helped start the clone war to fight in it.

When the clones and Jedi recover, the half that remain alive, the true fight begins though it is not at all anything like a true fight. There are those who say that the fights of the clone war are the worst to be in since the days of the old republic and I have yet to see this point proved true. It must be hard for all of these mortals to remain alive when they fight against each other like the filthy animals they are. They entertain themselves with watching two animals fight one another for sport and bet on them when to me they are the animals. In fact, I make a pledge to myself now to teach them all a lesson about their hypocritical ways. The living force is the aspect of the force that resides in all living things and I respect every part of the force. I would not be doing my job as a force wielder if I did not show the mortals the errors they have come across.

Calmly, I flick my wrists in quick succession to send individual beams of smoke towards the cannons and to disable them in a great ball of fire to burn any and all beings that dare to mount them. I will not tolerate such powerless beings trying to use these weapons to defeat me. I am immortal and there is nothing that the galaxy can throw at me that will bring me to my defeat... tsk, _defeat_. What could possibly defeat me? The Jedi and the republic seem to believe that they will come up with a way to stop me but it is plainly obvious to any and all that they are at their ends. Nothing short of the son of the force itself will beat me and such a person does not exist.

"You think you can beat _me_?" I snarl, sending sith lighting at the clones who have decided it is a good idea to shoot at me."I am _all powerful!_"

"Cody! Get your men to pull back!" General Kenobi shouts to his commander, who is still alive by some miracle. He dodges a blaster bolt from one of my pilot droids and adds, "Now!"

Then the Jedi, the stupid Jedi, readies his saber and lunges at me. Ignoring the instinct to use the force to squeeze the life out of him, I ignite my own ruby red lightsaber and block his attack with more effort than it took to use the force. Being a force wielder, I have the knowledge of how to do impossible things without effort using the force and yet I am as inexperienced as the next man when it comes to lightsaber to lightsaber combat. It is for this reason that I am allowing this petty duel to transpire, if experience is the best teacher then this should do me some good. Besides, I am immortal. This Jedi cannot harm me or kill me so there is nothing for me to have to consider when duelling with him other than making sure that his saber does not damage my perfect body.

Our blades clash gracefully and it is the Jedi's poor display of energy that makes me decide to go easy on the older man. Perhaps a side effect of my unique black smoke is to zap the energy of others, leaving them virtually more powerless than they already were? That is a question that I will have to test out later on. I have gone up against training droids faster than this Jedi master and Lord Sidious himself can go more than twice the speed when his fury reaches peaking level. This has only happened on one occasion when I 'dared' to question his authority and he used sith lightning to try and force me into submission after the mission on Alderaan. It rebounded off of my dark side infused body and he ended up being tortured by me. Truly, that was the day when we began to hate each other like any master and apprentice of the sith should.

I allow General Kenobi to push me back a few paces before I begin the offensive and push him back instead. It is the traditional fight between a sith and Jedi and I am not one to ignore the cultures of the galaxy that I have not known for long. Things like this are strangely... intriguing to me. I have a thirst for knowledge that is very hard to quench and the only way for me to be kept from constant research of the many things in the galaxy is the missions and tasks assigned to me. I parry most of the attacks Kenobi launches and return the rest of them with quick flourishes that either surprise him or make him stagger backwards.

Our fight takes us into one of the ruined buildings of the town on Christophsis that our battle began at and I can both see and sense the strain it is taking on Kenobi's body just to match my elegant strikes with his own. His energy really has disappeared seemingly into thin air; the black smoke has just become a substance that I wish to investigate even more in great detail. There are many citizens on this planet, or in the galaxy, that I can snatch up and test my weapon on. It will also serve to aid me in my meditation since peace is found, for me, by watching those who are inferior to me suffer and to catalogue the results so that I may enhance the effects.

Kenobi, it seems, is as good a fighter as the stories say even in his weakened state. I shall have to send General Grievous his head on a plate as an apology for not allowing him the pleasure of killing his greatest foe. That pathetic droid needs more lessons in the art of duelling because there are many, many Jedi who have escaped him and I put it all down to his distinct lacking of force sensitivity. He is a cyborg and therefore not infused with the same amount of energy as any other being. Many do not know that the general is actually a creature placed in a droid shell to sustain his life that has lived for many years. It's a rather strange way to remember that there are other galaxies out there with beings that are much more advanced than ours... or in his case much more weak.

The duel then takes us up a few flights of stairs which I find makes Kenobi even weaker and before long we reach the top floor of the building. He is effectively trapped now and I find that the urge to use the force to just end it all rather quickly for the miserable Jedi in front of me but I have to prove my saber skills both to myself and to Lord Sidious. In an obvious last attempt of giving himself some breathing room, Kenobi slams his saber into mine and I stagger backwards a few steps which gives him even more time to use the force to shove me far away from him. As he rushes through a hatch leading directly to the roof, I plaster a dark glare upon my face. He used the force on me, _me_, the force wielder. This cannot go unpunished.

My lightsaber, that remained in my grip whilst I was thrown, is clenched tightly in my hand and I charge up the remaining steps to the roof to put an end to the disaster that is Obi-Wan Kenobi. He just doesn't understand the meaning of leaving those who are superior alone. I am the immortal force wielder of the dark side and I will kill any and all who dare oppose my authority. How can the Jedi just think that they can defeat me? I am _immortal_ and after my display on Alderaan where many were massacred and I was attacking on my own, where as now I have a battalion of droids with me, I would have thought they learned something. This is yet another thing that Lord Sidious was right about. The Jedi are as stubborn as they are weak.

When I reach the roof I spot Kenobi stood in a fighting stance and his breathing has evened out somewhat. Useless Jedi calming techniques. I send a blast of force energy at him to stun the Jedi and lunge for him with my lightsaber at the ready. By some miracle, the Jedi master recovers just in time to parry my attack and return it with one of his own. My anger and hatred spark together to create the biggest ball of fury inside of me that I use in my very next strike, nearly knocking the lightsaber out of Kenobi's hands. Does the force want this Jedi to win? There is no way that he could have recovered from such a force blast without being handed some aid by the force itself.

The duel then picks up a faster pace and becomes the simple range of moves that I always envisioned it to be.

Strike. Strike. Strike. Duck. Parry. Strike. Dodge. Poke.

I'm not sure why that last move was taught to me but it certainly catches General Kenobi off guard and when he stumbles backwards I take the chance to disarm him and use the force to send him sprawling to the floor. With my saber firmly pointed towards him, the stupid, pathetic Jedi looks up at me with a defiant glare. I cannot believe how infuriating this Jedi is. He has made my resentment towards these petty, low level force users rise from a medium dislike to a full blown hatred of their entire species. Jedi? Force users? They are the worst force users in the universe. Their code restricts any and all paths to further power and I can already fully understand how the sith came to be. They were more intelligent than any other force using species and took the time to discover paths to true power.

"You lose, Jedi." I say in my now natural dark voice. "Now, you will die."

I raise the saber over my head and prepare to bring it down when a huge disturbance in the force makes me stop and keel over, staggering back a few steps. My head is pounding and the force itself seems to convulse around a very specific area of the galaxy. It's nowhere near here on Christophsis but more in the inner rim. Focusing as best I can, I discover that the force is now centred around two planets. Coruscant and Naboo. The force is centred around these two planets and not around me... why? What has happened on both planets that makes my very existence meaningless to the force itself when I am an all powerful force wielder? I am _the _all powerful force wielder!

What sickens me more than this is the fact that the disturbance in the force was caused purely by the _light _side. This is impossible. It is common knowledge that the dark is more powerful than the light, though some oppose this, and such amounts of power are not supposed to emit from it. Such amounts of power are not _allowed _to come from the light and I realise quickly that my mission has just changed completely. Finding and killing Jedi is nothing compared to the need to find and contain this power. It's almost as powerful as mine... then, I realise with a start that this power _is_ more powerful than I am. This is not allowed, this cannot be!

Kenobi has obviously sensed this too as he clutches his head for a few moments. Seeing that I am distracted, he uses the force to summon his lightsaber to him and launches himself off of the roof and to the ground below. My roar of outrage does nothing to the Jedi master as he flees from me and to the 'safety' of his ship. I curse in my seething temper and make a silent vow to myself and pledge to the force that it will be kept.

This force sensitives power distracted me so that I lost the chance to kill the infamous Obi-Wan Kenobi and it is more powerful than me. I will not allow it to roam around the galaxy, much less to fall into the hands of the Jedi.

This will not come to pass.


	25. Attacked, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Attacked, Ahsoka Tano**_

Painkillers make sleep a living hell. Normal painkillers aren't too bad and just give me some creepy dream of a talking pie and a drunk Jedi master, true story, but the strong painkillers that are given to people after severe injuries are just awful. I had a pounding headache all through the night and the time that I actually was asleep was plagued by strange dreams of things that I can't remember. There was a small animal that was talking... and a large piece of food which was the shape of the Jedi temple. Oh no; I can't tell the healers about my strange dreams because they'll think I'm insane and keep me in here for another week at least.

For all of these reasons, when I discover that it is now twelve o'clock in the day I quite literally bolt up in bed and throw every last painkiller left to me in the bin in the corner of the room. The healers assigned to me did some of their medical magic on my injuries so that they would all heal one hundred percent faster and I can actually stand up on my own now instead of being forced to sit around all day long. I take a look down at myself and observe my injuries that are mostly healed, aside from my broken arm and sprained wrist. That means that both of my hands are still out of action though I can get some movement out of the one attached to the sprained wrist.

I have the stiffest limbs in history but the ability to walk is available to me so that's good. What excites me about today is that the healers said they would be letting me out and to come back in a month or two to have the cast on my arm taken off. The stitches, which I still shudder to think about, were taken out early due to the wonders of bacta tanks and an advanced session in one thanks to Master Plo. I haven't seen him or any Jedi masters because of the healers declaration but they were allowed into the room while I was unconscious in bacta, with the promise not to discuss anything that happened in the competition, and I could sense both him and Master Kenobi when I was out. There were also a few moments when I sensed Master Yoda and another person who's force presence I'm not familiar with but they did not stay for long. It seems that I am the focus of something that is bugging the Jedi masters.

Deciding that sitting in bed is boring, I throw back the covers with as much force as I can use without hurting my arm and get slowly to my feet. The healers advised me against getting up quickly and said a definite 'no' to any jogging and that running would damn near kill me; I'd be unconscious a few moments after I'd stopped and then I'd be in serious trouble. Of course, I really didn't need the reminder since running is something that I am keen to avoid. I suck in a sharp breath at the pain in my legs and sit back down on the edge of the bed to take the weight off of my legs and give them a reprieve. My injuries from the competition have left lots of sore spots and way more problems than before.

I sit in silence for a few moments, weighing my options about walking around, when the door to my room opens and one of the healers walks in with a datapad in her hands. This is either going to be really good news or really bad news. As far as my experience says, a healer assigned to you who walks in with a datapad and is looking at it intently with a concentration level which is hard to break is never one of those 'average' things. I always feel nervous when a healer walks past me or towards me with that 'look' on their face. It makes me think of the many people who have had really bad luck and gotten serious medical conditions or been scarred for life in some way.

"Ah, Miss Tano, you are awake at last."

At _last_? There is security holograms in this room, isn't there? Surely they can see, or at least sense, that I have been awake all night long because of those stupid painkillers.

"Your injuries have healed enough for the need to monitor them to not be needed any more. Master Koon has already signed your release form so you are free to leave any time you want." The healer informs me.

"Is Master Plo waiting outside then?" I ask cautiously.

The healer shakes her head. "No. He was called away for a briefing thirty minutes ago but said for you to take it easy until he sees you next."

I nod. That sounds exactly like a thing that the Jedi master would say and this extra time means that I can go to the one place that I have been dying to get to ever since I woke up. I'm going to have to think of the perfect explanation for my clan members and then avoid any Jedi masters who might be snooping around and asking about what happened in the competition. A few days hiding should be enough for them to get the message... shouldn't it? Okay, hiding out isn't the best idea in the world. There's only one place where I can hide without anyone finding me and only one person who can make sure they don't. Though it's obvious, I know that answering questions is just going to be too hard.

"Now, Miss Tano, you do remember what you were told yesterday?" The healers asks rhetorically. "No running and no exerting yourself until we have taken off your bandages."

I nod. "Of course." I say in a formal manner, keen to get away from the halls of healing as quickly as possible. I've always had a strange feeling about this place, like it will be the death of me.

The healer nods in acceptance. "Good. Now, you'd best hurry up and get to your room before any Jedi masters show up. Honestly, the nerve to show up and distrupt a patients treatment... I've never seen such disrespect in my entire life..." She talks more to herself than to me as she walks out of the room, leaving me frowning in confusion after her.

A split second after the healer has left me, I get off of the bed and use the force to make it since I am unable to reach down and do it myself. Classes for my clan resume in three days time since some people, like me, can't do a thing involving lightsaber training or meditation because of the pain involved with moving our limbs. I know for a fact that Master Yoda tried to find a way around this in every possible form but the healers put their foots down. They haven't exactly forgiven him for letting the Jedi masters who came into my room disturb my healing process. Once again, the dedication of the Jedi healers to their patients has been shown.

Carefully, so as not to make my injuries hurt more than they already do, I reach down and slowly begin to put my boots on. They look like they have been cleaned, several times, and that is either because they got dirty during the competition or because I haven't cleaned them in ages. It has to have been at least a month since I last cleaned them and nobody has noticed it, though now they probably won't notice it until I walk through mud or something that leaves a stain. Putting on my boots with one hand and another that barely moves is harder than you'd think and I have to use the force to help me get my datapad and to finish up on my boots. Why is life so cruel?

I stand up again, since I had to sit back down to put on my boots, and walk out of the room that I was healed in. It's mid day so I can go and eat some lunch to the best of my ability before going somewhere else to spend my day that hopefully does not include any nosy Jedi masters or younglings who want to know what happened with that very strange, not to mention annoying, white light. Saying a 'goodbye' to the healers that bothered to say it to me, I depart the halls of healing in relief and head straight for the mess hall. Jay and Kay told me that they would be there today waiting for me so there's no point in me deciding to go anywhere else when I can avoid nearly everyone with them.

The corridors are just the same as every. Filled with the Jedi knights, padawans and the occasional youngling that is being trained out in the open. Nothing out of the ordinary there and none of them are giving me any weird looks at all so they can't have been told about what happened. The only looks that I get are mixed with sympathy and concern for my obviously serious injuries that are healing at a slower pace than I would like them to. How am I going to eat my lunch when I can hardly use either of my arms? Well, I can move the hand that isn't broken in whatever way I want but it does hurt quite a bit if I do it consistently. Oh well, lunch does come first in all places.

As I walk I cannot stop myself from thinking of the numerous possibilities for why what happened in the competition happened. I mean, first of all Slimo attacked me and Barris only to be ambushed by a wave of water from the waterfall that soaked us both as we were hanging over the edge of the cliff whilst Slimo himself was sent over the edge. After that, we run and climb down the rocks only to have Barris slip and fall over the edge and Slimo 'miraculously recovers' to try and kill me. That by itself is enough to make anyone confused but no... there just had to be something else, didn't there? There couldn't be a way for me to get off easy and just run away.

What really concerns me is surprisingly not the whole light coming out of my palm thing. I'm actually interested in what happened with the training sabers. That has to be the most coincidental thing in history which meant that the force's will was directed solely on those objects for that particular moment. I've never heard of two training sabers blowing up before and the explanation that Barris gave me hardly told me anything. Something about fuses and gases and what-not... the worst explanation I have ever heard since Master Yoda tried to explain to a two year old youngling why his mother 'didn't want him any more'. Hilarious, and yet, such a sad story.

I turn a corner and instantly know that classes have already finished for lunch since there is a massive crowd moving in the general location of the mess hall. Crowds this big never last in the Jedi temple since there is always a Jedi master or knight to move the younglings along in different, more quicker directions. Speaking of which, there's Aayla Secura doing that right now. I turn to take a different route and find that it is mostly deserted, thank force. Nobody to whisper things or give me the odd stares that I know to expect when I enter the mess hall for lunch. I have not had lunch in the mess hall for a month now since for three weeks I was with Anakin and for another week I was unconscious in the halls of healing.

After the newly diverted route that I take, I reach the mess hall which is filled with more younglings than it ever has been at breakfast or dinner when I arrive. People must either be too tired to bother or forget to have their meals at those times in the day. I ignore each and every one of the looks that people are giving me and instead focus on getting my lunch. It's rather easy for me to find a place to sit since the twins made their presences more than well known the moment I arrived. It's a little embarrassing when they do that and I always have to pretend that I have never seen either of them in my entire life.

"Ahsoka, you're out!" Jay says in delight as I sit down at their chosen table.

I smile. "Yes, I'm out. How are you doing?"

"Good, better than usual since people 'feel sorry' for us because of you." Kay informs me. "They said: 'Oh you poor dears you must be so shocked!' and a bunch of other things. It's rather amusing actually."

Rolling my eyes, I begin the difficult task of eating lunch with my left hand. "I'm so glad that you find the sympathy of people who usually tell you to stay in the middle of the room where they can see you so amusing." I say sarcastically.

The twins smirk and go back to eating their lunches in response. "Um... Ahsoka? You remember that prat of a man named Pedro, don't you?"

I slowly nod. "Yes."

"Well, he wants to know if all the 'rumours' about that white light are true. I wouldn't say anything if I were you because these rumours are nothing like the actual truth that you know." Kay advises.

"What are the rumours saying?"

"One says that Slimo tried attacking you and your whole body started glowing. Another says that you got hit with some toxic waste that made it seem like you had this strange force thing going on. The last one is total crap and says that you didn't want to lose and used the light to try and kill Slimo but it failed when Master Yoda came and knocked you out."

I snort. "That's hardly true. I wasn't knocked out; I _passed_ out. There is a really big difference and I'm guessing that it was Slimo who started it."

Jay shakes his head. "As hard to believe as it is, he didn't. The guy's been unconscious for the same amount of time as you were and they won't let him out of the halls of healing because his energy keeps getting zapped out of him by something. Apparently they only found a way to stop it by using a force sensitive object to replenish his energy and by giving him injections every five minutes. Must suck to be him right now."

Swallowing the uncomfortable feeling rising in my throat, I nod. "Yeah, must suck to be him." I agree before starting to eat my lunch again with more success than last time. What's that feeling in my gut? It feels like guilt but that can't be right. Why would I ever be feeling guilty about putting Slimo in his place?

Lunch today consists of sandwiches, most likely because of a money shortage, and salad. I am a Togruta, in case anyone failed to notice that, and we are carnivores. There has never been a _vegetarian_ Togruta as far as I know and there never will be. We hunt for food, as I had to find out when I was nine, and salads are only eaten because we need to get enough vitamins to stay alive. I've never had a problem with salad unless it tastes too awful to be eaten and this would often result in some other Togrutan Jedi younglings giving me weird stares. Speaking of which, I'm getting enough weird stares already so there's no point in pretending I don't like the salad today.

"Ahsoka, you remember those younglings who tried to beat us up twice?" Jay asks suddenly.

I frown in caution. "Yes... why?"

"They're back... and they look like they've just been run over by a speeder the size of Coruscant." He says slowly, as if not believing his own words.

I sigh in exasperation. "They're standing right behind me aren't they."

The twins nod with narrowed gazes directed at those behind me as I turn around to look at the four horse-men of the apocalypse and their chubby little friend. It seems that Jay's description was correct; they _do_ look like they've been run over by a speeder the size of Coruscant. Their hair looks greasy like the heaven of all chips that need to be fried and their clothes are slightly tattered. Since I know better than to think that they've been doing something they shouldn't have, I can tell that their ring leader has been delivering some hard and painful lessons to them in the form of punches and kicks. Whatever they're doing must take up most of their time since even I can have a wash now and again, though I generally try to avoid the extra cold water of the showers.

"Can I help you?" I ask in a bored voice.

A tall and skinny youngling nods his head, almost frantically. "Yes, actually. Please help." He says in a pleading voice that makes me arch both eye marks.

A different one of the younglings, one with more sense, shoves the one who has spoken aside and steps forwards. "What my friend meant to say was that Slimo is out of control thanks to your little... I don't know what it was exactly but we mean to say that you need to scare him like that again. We are the five bullies who don't have leaders and then the... unmentionable... came along."

I nod, slowly, in understanding. "So, let me get this straight, you want _me_ to scare Slimo so much that he stops bossing you around so that _you_ can go back to bullying the vast majority of younglings that I am friends with."

They are silent for a moment, sharing glances, before they nod. "Yes, that's right."

Well, my lunch is finished and there are a bunch of idiots stood in front of me. This is an opportunity from the force itself to bail and leave. "Maybe you should ask someone who is at the same level of intelligence as you are," I suggest, making sure not to call them stupid outright, and stand up from the table before leaving the mess hall.

That could have gone better. Realistically speaking, that could have all been avoided if some people actually used their brains instead of using the empty space that is the idiots best friend. I decide to take a long walk around the temple, which just so happens to start with the entrance hall because it is right next to the exit, and set off at a leisurely pace. Anything that will distance myself from the five younglings who don't know north from south, or up from down, is a good thing to be doing. There isn't much to say about the corridors since I've already been through them and hardly anything has changed. Although, there might be a few less Jedi knights wandering around than there was before.

I walk into the entrance hall and look around at the things that have been brought in by the clones after a raid on a separatist base. They still believe that no younglings are going to look at the contraband and even when we do it right in front of them there is no Jedi knight who has told us to look the other way and that these things are the artefacts of war and to be ignored. I walk right past each of them, making sure not to take too long a look at them just in case the tradition breaks, and go through one more short corridor until I reach the place that I want to be. This used to be where I would come whenever I had some free time and since it is the weekend and I won't make it to Anakin alive this is the best place to be.

There's no-one around in this small corner and I use the force to jump up onto the next floor which isn't really a floor and more of a window-sill surrounded by a metal sheet which hides me from the view of others. I really, really don't want to have to speak to anyone right now so I am filled with relief when I sit down in the enclosed space, pull my knees up to my chest and watch Coruscant go by through the window. This had always been my favourite place to think until I walked right into Anakin's room and discovered how much more relaxing it is to stay there, especially since the Jedi code is something that Anakin cares nothing about and lets me do whatever I want.

"Young one," A voice brings me out of my thoughts and I curse myself a thousand times in my head for not sensing him. "I must admit that this is a rather good hiding place but it helps to hide your force presence as well."

I turn my head to the side and see that Master Kenobi, it seems, has finally found me and this time there are no healers to give me the space that I need for thinking. Either he's been following me since I left the halls of healing, been keeping tabs on me as I suspected he would or has just now sensed my force presence at a rather convenient spot where nobody will find us. Why do Jedi masters have a nack for finding people at the places where they do not want to be found?

"Hello, Master Kenobi." I greet, hoping to avoid the obvious subject that he has arrived for.

He smiles kindly and nods, coming to sit down beside me. "You have been very hard to get a hold of in the last week, Ahsoka, not to mention how the healers refused to let us in after that disastrous turn of events with the bacta."

I frown in confusion. "Bacta?" I ask.

Smiling again, he just shakes his head. "It would be best if you did not know that particular tale, young one. I came to talk to you about something and before you try to change the subject it is not about what happened in your competition. A reliable source has told me that you had no knowledge that the event would even occur."

I grin. "It was Anakin, wasn't it?"

Master Kenobi nods with a knowing look. "He has given next to no details on the subject, though I expected nothing less from him. I believe his most detailed explanation was on how my lightsaber went missing in his first week as my padawan."

Wow, that's something I could have been told a while ago. Perhaps before I learned what Anakin's personality really was like instead of that emotionless force wielder with the changing eye colour who threw the bullies down the corridor like they were nothing with no regret at all. I have to admit that he was way more intimidating back then than he is right now to me.

"Is the council mad at me?" I question innocently.

He doesn't answer for a moment. "I don't believe the word 'mad' would best describe their mood, more themselves in general. At first they were in denial that it ever happened and then they had a mad rush to get to your room. You were lucky that the healers showed such dedication or you would have never recovered in the time you should have."

"But they're still angry with me?"

"Jedi do not get angry, Ahsoka. You must remember the code, even though I'm sure Anakin had told you it is rubbish by now. They were very surprised that you managed to get to Anakin's room without them knowing and it took us a while to figure out your little route through the ventiliation systems. Master Windu also saw a rather interesting thing with those twins you always hang around with... something to do with a chase?"

I redden in embarrassment and look away at the floor. The chase would be referring to when I walked right into the twins' mischievous little scheme and we got chased by Master Windu through the vents until I got us out through a route that Anakin had told me about. For some reason I had actually believed that the Jedi master had forgotten about that.

Fidgeting with my hands nervously, I look back up at him. "What are they going to do about me visiting Anakin?" I ask.

"That would have been rather hard to answer had you woken up four days ago. You did make a very powerful impression upon them with showing them what Anakin can teach."

"But he didn't teach me that..." I say.

"I know, I know. By teaching I meant teaching you how to survive." Master Kenobi quickly cuts in. "The council were thinking along the lines of banning you from seeing Anakin again until they saw an opportunity."

"Opportunity for what?"

"An opportunity for -"

A loud crashing sound and several screams stops him from continuing to speak and we both twist around to look towards the entrance hall. The space I choose to stay in may be confined but it has specific places where you can see just about everything around you, not to mention through vents and air ducts. Master Kenobi jumps to his feet and off of the platform whilst I jump to my own feet out of pure reflex. Out of the pure Jedi master stereotype, Master Kenobi shouts "Stay there!" as he rushes into the entrance hall to see what is going on when I sense something extremely dark and very, very powerful.

I do as I am told and stay exactly where I am for a total of ten seconds before the extremely dark and very, very powerful thing comes my way and I freeze with my eyes wide when I see a humanoid surrounded in black smoke. Oh dear force it's the dark force wielder that the council were trying to get Anakin to help them defeat. What really freaks me out and actually makes me feel fear is the fact that the force wielder doesn't even look around the room. Instead, he just looks right at me with that really intense and calculating stare which tells me that he came here for me and not Anakin. There's a very good chance that he doesn't even know that Anakin is here.

Within half a second of him walking into the room, the dark force wielder throws some kind of dark energy ball at me and I duck down as it soars over my head and clashes with the supports of this floor. Maybe I should have let it hit me after all. The entire floor comes crashing downwards and I have my eyes half closed so I nearly miss the way that all the sharp objects that aren't positioned away from me are met with a white, translucent barrier. I must either be going insane or be in a coma because this simply cannot be real.

I hit the floor hard and the pain from all of the injuries from the competition spikes, meaning that they have either all reopened or just become permanent pain spots for me. Without even thinking about what I'm doing, I get to my feet and bolt out of the room and into another corridor, ducking under a large piece of rubble that was force pushed at me rather violently. I run in the direction of a corridor that cuts right through the middle of the temple and is guarded by two Jedi knights for a reason when I trip and fall. The tripping is obviously a deliberate thing and I turn around on the floor so that I am on my back and push myself up on my elbows. The cast has mostly fallen away on my arm and everything hurts so much.

Overall assessment: not good. The dark force wielder is headed right this way and I am starting to feel really, really confused and upset. There are lots of confusing things happening to me and I have no idea why. Is something wrong with me? Am I cursed in some way? Just as he nears with that really dark expression which makes me realise that he doesn't want to kill me but instead kidnap me I panic. Seriously panic. With no Jedi cool to stop me from doing anything stupid I throw out a very strange and undirected call for help. Strangely enough, that call goes right to Anakin. Don't ask me how I know because I just do in some strange way through the force.

A very bright blue light appears directly in front of me and I get up, turn around and run. Just run. I'm scared, panicking, emotionally unstable and the force is acting so strangely around me that I can hardly move without something strange clicking inside of my brain. So caught up in my thoughts am I that when I run down the corridor that leads a very quick path to another part of the temple I manage to somehow avoid being tackled by the guards. I sprint as fast as I possibly can and am hardly aware that I am leaving a small trail of blood behind whenever my wounds start to drip blood, which is once every second.

I turn a corner, then another corner, then another corner and run right through the very familiar door in front of me which leads right into the person that I had no idea I could go to even when I am in an injured state. It's hard to recall what's going on around me but I can feel someone catching me when I fall and then a very strange feeling accompanied by that glowing light from someone's hand.

My vision returns and I look at the very concerned and troubled looking face of Anakin Skywalker before Master Kenobi's voice from behind me makes me freeze.

"So... I'm guessing there's something else you want to tell me, then?"


	26. The Truth, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**The Truth, Ahsoka Tano**_

Awkward. Awkward. Awkward. I had completely forgotten about the possibility of Master Kenobi seeing all of that 'business' with the dark force wielder and he had to have seen what happened with that translucent white shield type thing. Luckily for me, he had the decency not to ask me anything because I was in a rather large amount of pain due to my broken arm. Yes, I had managed to re-break it on my first day out of the halls of healing. Not a good thing to be doing if I'm honest, especially since I have enough of a reputation of getting into trouble already. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was, though, since the next second Anakin had led me inside to the lounge and sat me down.

At this exact moment he is healing my arm and giving me a look that clearly says 'we are going to talk about this' but is not nearly as serious as Master Kenobi's. I thought he was just going to brush this off and tell me never to do it again but now he looks like he's been charged by a shaak. That must be what happens when you go up against a dark force wielder with absolutely no way to protect yourself... other than the force wielder hidden away that nobody knows about other than the Jedi council and me because I was just too curious to let it go.

My head is resting on a cushion that Anakin handed me because of the 'light-headedness' that I would be feeling very soon and true to his words I am feeling rather strange right now. That's probably what the glass of water is for although I don't want to drink it just yet in case it hurts my sprained wrist, which surprisingly avoided becoming worse than it already is. I think I might have put all of my weight on my broken arm and that's why it re-broke and left my other arm feeling fine, which is more than I can say about the sharp pains in both of my legs. This is by far the worst thing that has ever happened to me in the injury department and that is probably because I've never come across a dark force wielder before. He really is very powerful but I could sense that he wasn't as powerful as Anakin.

Maybe I'll get lucky and the dark force wielder will decide to leave me alone?

"Now, can either of you please explain what that was that happened back there with Starkiller?" Master Kenobi asks, finally.

I bite my lip and stare at the ground. Truth be told, I have absolutely _no_ idea what is going on with me so the person to answer these sorts of questions would be Anakin. Honestly, if I knew what was going on then I wouldn't have gotten scared and confused and ran all the way here which resulted in a lot of physical pain for me. There are the things that healers tell you and then there are the things that healers don't tell you. In this case, they did not tell me that if I did anything to exert myself it would result in things _this_ disastrous and painful. My own bone was very nearly poking out of my skin until Anakin started to heal it and that was just plain agony.

"It wasn't Ahsoka if that's what you're asking, Obi-Wan." Anakin answers, not taking his eyes off of the arm that he is healing.

Master Kenobi rolls his eyes. "You have never been one for truthful answers, Anakin. I was asking what those lights were and why all of this is happening to Ahsoka if you say she does not do it."

Finally! Someone with some sense! I wait patiently for Anakin to actually answer Master Kenobi's question. He is apparently focusing very intently on the healing process right now and it is a full minute before he looks up and releases my arm, which I can now move perfectly once again. Then, to my irritation, he just starts to heal that large cut on my side from where the stitches came lose on my torso but, finally, decides to answer.

"Protection field." He mumbles, pretending to be solely focused on healing once again.

"Excuse me?" Master Kenobi questions with an arched eyebrow.

Anakin sighs and looks up. "It was the protection field. The one that I put around her a month ago that prevents anything from maiming to seriously harming and killing."

There is silence for a moment. A protection field? I can't remember him ever doing that; I would have known if something like that had happened.

"You placed a protection field around Ahsoka?" Master Kenobi asks slowly.

Anakin nods. "Yes, I did."

"When?" I ask. "I can't remember you doing that."

"Do you remember when you passed out that one time? I told you that you'd had an allergic reaction to something." Anakin says. "Well, that was the protection field and it's the reason for what happened in the vents, in the room of a thousand fountains and just now with that -... I mean, Starkiller."

"Then what about what happened in the competition?" Master Kenobi questions with his arms now crossed over his chest.

Anakin suddenly looks very guilty. "Oh, that. Well, you see, I could sense that Slimo was about to do something stupid and the protection field had sustained most of the damage from the explosion otherwise Ahsoka would have been killed instantly. So, I tried to use the force to get rid of Slimo without killing him at the same time that the protection field tried to do the same thing and at the same time Ahsoka tried to use the force to push him away. Basically, all three powers got mixed up into one that appeared to come out of Ahsoka's hand because she was the nearest force sensitive that was using the force at the time."

That has to be the longest and most complicated explanation ever... wait, haven't I said that about one of Anakin's explanations before? Well, this is the longest and most complicated explanation he has ever given me so far. Just when I thought that he could never surprise me with anything else. This is the answer to all of my questions. A protection field... that makes perfect sense! True, I don't know much about them and have only just learned about their existence but this is great! There's nothing wrong with me, aside from the open wounds, and I can stop trying to come up with explanations for the twins and myself about what's going on around me. Wait a minute, if it prevents serious injuries, how come I broke my arm and nearly died?

"Anakin, what exactly is a protection field? I know you said that they prevent harm but I think that this is one of those moments when you can't get away with a very brief explanation." Master Kenobi points out.

"Oh... right." Anakin begins to explain. "A protection field is something that is made by force wielding alchemists. It's a white ball with a shield symbol on it and when babies are born the healers use the force to place it inside of them. The protection field lasts until you turn eighteen years old and there is no way at all to overcome it or change it in any way. People made sure that there was no way to change it just in case someone tried to sustain it forever."

"And this is something that you just happened to have had in your pocket all of this time?"

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "I never clear them out and it was a gift so yes, it has just been lying around in my pocket this entire time. Well, until I put it around Ahsoka."

"I thought you said it went inside them?"

"Yes, and then it expands to a field that protects them. Hence the name 'protection field'."

Master Kenobi sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Anakin, if this lasts until Ahsoka is eighteen then when and if she becomes a padawan it will be the equivalent of invincibility. Do you know how serious this is?"

Anakin rolls his eyes. "Relax, Obi-Wan. Back home this is not considered invincibility because the kids are always getting into fights and you can easily be knocked out, just not killed."

"Back at your home there are billions of powerful force wielders who can do next to anything and bring people back from the brink of death itself."

"This would not be a problem if you would just let me go home in the first place," Anakin points out smartly. "And take Ahsoka with me, obviously."

Say what? I stare at him in disbelief. Anakin wants to take me back to his 'planet of the force wielders' with him and all because of a protection field? This just gets better and better in my book.

"Anakin, I seriously doubt that the Jedi council will allow you to take a Jedi youngling with you back to your planet simply because of a protection field." Master Kenobi says. "I'm not even sure if they will believe me when I tell them about this and believe me I will have no choice but to tell them."

This time Anakin sighs and summons his datapad to him with the force without even lifting a finger. That still unnerves me slightly. He turns it on and the clicks and beeps indicate that he forgot to mute it as many people do because of how annoying the noises can be. Well, maybe he finds the noises soothing because it doesn't take a genius to see that Anakin loves mechanics. A few seconds later he comes across the page he is looking for and sets it down on the coffee table so that it faces Obi-Wan. Thanks to the wonderful ability of being able to read things upside down like most children can, I notice that the words 'dimidium semino' are displayed. I've read those words once before.

"It's an old language, Obi-Wan, and I'm guessing you know what for." Anakin says. "Read that and you will know exactly why I placed the protection field around her and many other things. Meanwhile, Snips go and lay down. I swear if you use the force even once I will force feed you sea urchins."

Okay, that is a threat that he really means. I have yet to meet, and never want to, a person in this galaxy today who likes to eat sea urchins. Either they come from Mon Calimari with that salty taste or they come from Dantooine with the polluted water. The only decent place to get sea food from is Naboo and they don't exactly have any sea urchins to sell. They have large animals who are either harmless and inedible or extremely dangerous and inedible.

I stand up slowly because even though Anakin has healed all of the wounds that reopened, and a few others because of something he refered to as 'hipocracy'. Anakin stand up aswell, most likely to stop me from trying to read whatever it is that Master Kenobi is reading, and leads me out of the lounge. I hardly see how this is fair since I really want to know what exactly a 'dimidium semino' is and why that means that Anakin had to place a protection field around me and wants to take me back to his planet. It is all just far too confusing for me without any answers, other than the stuff about the protection field, to try and wrap my head around everything.

We walk into the mostly empty room with the bookcase that I hid behind one time when Master Windu and Master Plo came in for the first time to ask for Anakin's help. There aren't any beds in here but there is one chair to the side of the room that is supposed to be where Anakin would sit and read, if he ever does read. Without warning, Anakin waves his hand at the small corner table and it transforms into a comfortable looking bed on the floor. There is no frame to hold up the mattress so it's just like the beds that padawans use in the quarters that they share with their masters. I've never been too keen on the idea of a bed on the floor but at least there's no chance of any idiots hiding under your bed waiting to jump out at you.

"Anakin, what's a dimidium semino?" I ask as I sit down on the bed.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. That's what he always does when he's avoiding the question so I can't expect to get anything out of him right now. "I'll tell you later." He says. By that he means that he's going to come up with many excuses to avoid the question until I find a way to corner him into telling me. "Just get some rest now and I'm going to go talk with Obi-Wan."

With that, he turns around and leaves me in the room but not before he flicks his wrist and makes the blinds fold to block out most of the sunlight from the sun that lights Coruscant in the day time. Well, in our half of the day time that is. My mind is temporarily taken off of everything that I have just been told when I realise that the bed is exceptionally comfortable and wonder why Anakin never transformed his own bed into one like this. I lay down on my back and pull the covers over me because I can never seem to get to sleep without some kind of blanket over me, that is, apart from in summer time.

I close my eyes, turn over onto my side so that I am facing away from the door and start to think about everything that has happened. The most pressing issue of my life: I am now practically invincible, as Master Kenobi pointed out. Why didn't Anakin tell me that he had done something like this? I was so worried that I was going to die in the competition and now it turns out that there was no chance of that even happening in the first place. Second of all, what is a dimidium semino? Anakin avoided the question and I have the sneaking suspicion that if Master Kenobi wasn't being told right now I might never know. I'm just lucky that Master Kenobi isn't that good at keeping secrets.

However, it seems that surviving an attack from a dark force wielder named Starkiller is fairly exhausting and I fall asleep soon after those thoughts pass through my head.

* * *

I am woken up when I sense the force presence of another person and when the bright, white, translucent shield appears around me. Since I am far too tired to have any reflexes kick in, I simply lift my head slightly and look up at what made the protection field protect me. I am surprised to see that it is just Master Plo and he has his lightsaber ignited. Oh force, he isn't _that_ mad about me going to visit Anakin is he? I thought Jedi masters were supposed to have an excellent anger control system!

"Sorry to wake you, little 'Soka." He apologizes. "I just had to see if the protection field that Skywalker told us about actually works." He sits down in the chair beside my bed.

Yawning, I put my head back down on the pillow. "Okay, Master Plo." I mumble in a sleepy voice.

"You have been asleep for a long time, Ahsoka."

I frown sleepily. "Really? How long?"

"Myself, Master Windu and Master Yoda arrived five hours ago." He says. "Kenobi did some of the explaining over the com. link but it was Skywalker who told us everything. Including why he placed the field around you in the first place."

I lift my head off of the pillow. "Really?" I ask hopefully.

He nods. "Yes, although you are not going to find out from me."

My head drops back to the pillow with a disappointed, "Oh."

"Do you not wish to return to your room now?"

I shake my head. "It takes too long to get there," I say, thinking that he means my old way of getting here when I needed to avoid them at all costs.

Chuckling, Master Plo shakes his head. "It may have taken you a while to reach here through your route through the ventilation shafts but if you go the proper way I think you will find it takes ten minutes."

Oh, that's right. It only took me five minutes when I ran the normal way and jumped out of the way of the two Jedi knights who tried to stop me. I wasn't exactly in my right mind then. A dark force wielder had just attacked me whose name literally meant that he would destroy stars and the protection field had made itself known in a very obvious way. There wasn't anyone around to see it, other than the force wielder himself and Master Kenobi, so hopefully none of the younglings will be on my case tomorrow morning. It is night, right? I check the blinds. Yep. It's night time.

"Master Plo?" I ask.

"Yes, little 'Soka?"

I hesitate a little. This is a question that has been bothering me ever since I was told that the council knew I went to visit the person that they specifically told me not to. "Am I allowed to visit Anakin now?"

He appears to have been expecting this question and smiles warmly at me. "Yes, you are, young one. You need not worry about getting into trouble this time around." I smile back at him in happiness, deliberately ignoring the silent hint about 'this time around'. "Now, you must get out of bed for you cannot stay here."

"I was allowed to stay here a few times before." I say in a slightly whiney voice but get out and off of the bed none-the-less.

Master Plo ignores that, probably because he has something else on his mind, and turns towards the door. "Come along, Ahsoka."

I follow him out of the small room whilst stifling a yawn behind my hand. Since there is a hallway separating the small room that I was asleep in for the past five hours I only catch a glimpse of what is going on in the lounge. Anakin is sat on one couch whilst Masters Kenobi, Windu and Yoda are sat on the other. They all appear to be talking about something in great detail and it makes me wonder why the Jedi council pays so much attention to me simply because I know Anakin better than they do. Now that the thought has occurred to me, it might be because of the protection field and every strange thing that has happened around me in the past month. The strange floating writing, that was Anakin. What happened in the vents, the room of a thousand fountains and in the competition was all the protection field. However, since Anakin put it there it is still his fault.

I follow Master Plo out of the suite where Anakin lives inside the temple and through the corridors and hallways. It's kind of strange to be walking through the temple now with the knowledge that nothing and no-one can kill me, especially since it's war time. Imagine if I was three years older and a padawan to someone who was in battles constantly throughout the time of the war. I'd be practically unstoppable unless the droids made to harm me in some non-severe way and then the torture sessions... well, I'm not exactly sure what would happen but I know that I wouldn't be the one getting hurt that's for sure.

Unfortunately, and luckily, for me I am not old enough to be a padawan since the average age is fourteen years old and I am only eleven. To be perfectly honest, I don't want to be in the war at all since I will get myself killed one way or the other protection field or not. There aren't many younglings wondering the halls now since curfew has got to be very soon if not now and the only Jedi that I can see are knights and a few masters. It's odd how at nighttime it's like the Jedi masters come out of hiding and start to walk around everywhere to where they want to be. I don't know if it's because of the war or if I was just too young to remember otherwise but this is what happens every day. True, there is the occasional master around but I'm not exactly in an area of the temple where they like to be.

We walk through the entrance hall and I inwardly, and outwardly, cringe. It looks like a bomb has gone off and the signs of blood on the floor means that either I ran through here or someone was killed. There is just so much of it that I have to look away at the walls, except they are no better. They are filled with shrapnel, holes and a life sized shape of a person who has gone right through the wall and to the other side. Several cleaning droids are at work but I know that there aren't enough of them to get everything cleaned up for at least a few days. This will make all those who protest against the Jedi being involved in the war have another thing to shout about, that's for sure.

A support beam that was used to help hold up the roof has been brought down and I gulp silently. That was made of twelve inch thick durasteel and if the force wielder was able to cut that clean through then I would have been turned into sushi within a matter of seconds. Thank force for the protection field. I'm already glad that I have it and I've only known about it for the past few hours, most of which I was sleeping through. It may just be my imagination, which I'm hoping it is, but I could have sworn I saw something move from under that beam that looked like a hand. I'm really hoping that's not the case because if the force wielder came here because of me and killed people then I am going to start feeling more guilty than I ever have before.

As we head through the door that leads to the exit and towards my room I curse, silently of course, when I realise that this is the way to the place where I used to sit and watch Coruscant go by. The entire floor with the window sill has come down but the cleaning droids have made a path through it so that normal activity will not be diverted, or so they think. I'm not sure what the council thinks will happen when something like this goes on but the younglings will start clogging up the halls like a drain blockage. Whenever you try to get them to move along the very next day there is double the size of the crowds as the day before as a result and I just know that they don't want that to happen.

Master Plo leads me through the newly created path without so much as a glance at the rubble that was caused by the force wielder, and in an indirect way also by me. After that very disturbing scene which I hope never to see again, we walk through several more corridors until we reach the corridor which houses my room and several other places where the younglings sleep. My room, as I have noted many times, is extremely small because there were too many people placed in my clan and not enough room. That being said, you'd think it would be a good idea to put me in a place near them and not five corridors and six turns away.

When we get inside, I find that nothing has changed other than the fact that the room has obviously been searched. In fact, it looks like it was rather thoroughly searched since the room itself is absolutely wrecked. There are things littered all over the floor and my bed has been torn open. Whoever did this was not a Jedi because they never search people's things like this. In all honesty, this could only have been done by someone who either wanted me hurt, Slimo, or by someone who wanted information about me. Either way, Master Plo looks thoroughly displeased and surprised by this.

"It seems that you will be staying in Skywalker's room after all," He says with a cautious glance around the room and the broken window to the left hand side.


	27. Gaming, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Gaming, Ahsoka Tano**_

After walking into my room and finding it well and truly trashed, Master Plo took me right back to Anakin's room because it had been deemed 'the safest place for me' because of the dark force wielder being after me. I'll be honest, there is not a lot of reasons for me to be scared. I can't die; I can't be maimed; I can't be severely injured. This must be a real problem for my teachers because they are supposed to challenge us to be our best but with no threat of impending death there isn't much to motivate me anymore. I'm not even sure what's going to happen in my classes anymore but I guess I'll be told when I go back.

The other three Jedi masters were still there, since we hadn't been gone long, and after Master Plo explained it they just suggested that I go back to sleep in the bed in the other room. I wasn't about to complain and just said in a polite voice that I would and walked out of the lounge. It's a little hard no to be nervous when you're in a room with those Jedi masters in the middle of the night so I managed to get out of the room in under two seconds without making a fool of myself. Anakin gave me a look that plainly said 'goodnight' and I fell asleep quicker than I usually would have. That's what happens when you're woken up after a five hour nap.

Waking up this morning is slightly strange. Naturally, I'm not very happy about waking up since I am an eleven year old and prefer to stay in bed for as long as is physically possible. Groaning, I stuff my face into the pillow in an attempt to go right back to sleep but it fails miserably when I hear the sound of an alarm chrono. I huff in annoyance and turn over so that I am laying on my back. When I look around the room I find that there is no alarm chrono in sight and then realise that Anakin is playing a trick on me. I swear that one of these days I am going to pay him back in such a way that he will never trick me again.

"You awake yet, Snips!" He shouts from the other room.

I groan again and pull the covers over my head. "Yes!" I shout back.

"Anakin, don't wake her," The scolding voice of Master Kenobi says and I smirk under the duvet.

A muffled bit of conversation and then, "I heard that smirk, Ahsoka!" Anakin shouts and I sigh. Nothing ever seems to get past him.

I pull the covers down so that they no longer cover my head and lay in bed for a few more minutes as I think. It can't be too early in the morning since Master Kenobi is already here though I have no idea about his choice of sleeping arrangements so maybe be stayed the night too? Then again, Jedi masters rise early and go to sleep late. I've never been sure about whether or not I wanted to be one of them because it's all paper work, lack of sleep and doing things that will scar you for life. Some people say that being a Jedi master is the best thing for any Jedi but I don't know about that. Becoming a Jedi master is usually down to being old, having experience and knowing how to use a saber better than most.

Lazily, I push back the covers and swing my legs over the side of the bed so that they are touching the ground. I have to use my arms to push myself up to my feet because of how low the bed is and how tired I always am when I first wake up after a long sleep. Stretching out my arms to get rid of the tight and compacted feeling given from staying in one position for too long, I notice that I have what feels like the beginning of a stomach ache. I must be hungry because this doesn't happen usually and whenever I wake up hungry there is always something wrong with me that makes me realise. One time I skipped dinner and when I woke up I threw up everything that I had eaten the day before. Not a good thing.

Rubbing my eyes to get rid of the tired feeling, I walk out of the small room which I slept in last night and towards the lounge. It's already light out, which is good, and judging by how bright it is I'm guessing that it's not six o'clock anymore. Anakin is already sat on one of the couches watching me with a huge cocky smirk on his face that tells me I need to hit him and stop him from ever waking me up again. Master Kenobi is just visible in the kitchenette and if I didn't know any better I would say that he's making breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, I check the chrono on the table and see that it is nine o'clock in the morning. I slept three hours later than I usually would and, once again, it feels terrific. I don't know why people invented rising early.

"Are you awake yet, Snips?" Anakin says in a mocking fashion.

With a grumble I 'accidentally' use the force to send a book at him and sit down on the sofa beside him. This turns out to be a bad idea when he sends the book back at me and I get smacked in the face by it whereas he was only hit on the shoulder. I pick up the cushion and hit him over the head with it, causing him to retaliate with more force, and soon we are engaged in an all out pillow fight. I've said many things about Anakin but there are many ways I would describe him. An insulting one would be 'the freak of nature' but the one that best describes him when he is hit over the head with a cushion is 'the ultimate pillow fighter'.

Our little fight, though it was actually quite a large one if you think about it logically, was brought to an end when Master Kenobi walked back in the room and used the force to pull both of the cushions away from us. It's a shame because I was actually doing rather well at holding my own against Anakin, for once, and the face that his hair is now standing out at odd angles makes the fact that I would have won even more obvious. There has to be something that never lets Anakin lose because whenever I'm about to beat him there is either something that interrupts him, something that flies across the room and stops the game or a really angry chess set that's sick of not being played as often as it should be.

"You do know that you're not a child, Anakin." Master Kenobi reminds him, throwing the cushions back down on the sofa opposite us. "Although you do your best to try and get everyone to think that you are."

"I'm twenty years old, Obi-Wan. That's only two years off eighteen which is still classed as a child year and I'm not twenty-one yet so I'm just about a young adult and not a real one yet. I can act as care-free as I want... most of the time." Anakin says with a cocky smirk.

Master Kenobi rolls his eyes. "Anakin, one day..." He trails off and walks back into the kitchenette, leaving us on the sofa whilst Anakin grins at his retreating back.

"Anakin?"

"Yes?"

"What am I supposed to be doing now? I mean, Master Plo just sort of left me to go to sleep and now I don't know whether to go back to my room or not." I say.

"Well, I know that you're not going back to your room because someone broke in through the window and tore all your stuff up. They are still trying to figure out what the person was looking for since you didn't exactly have anything in your room to rob other than clothes." Anakin replies. "Whoever it was either thought that you were hiding there, in which case they were an idiot, or thought that you had something that they wanted, which you didn't."

I nod slowly, not understanding what that was supposed to mean other than the burglar was an idiot. "What are we going to do now? I'm not exactly allowed to go back to my room and I don't know where my friends are."

Anakin thought for a moment, it wasn't a long moment and I can tell that he is just faking because he's had something in mind for a while. What that thing is I am about to find out. "We can play a board game that I've always enjoyed playing," He suggests. "It's called Sides Of The Force."

"Okay, how do you play?"

"You can have up to four players and each of you is a different version of the force. It's basically like having four forces and one has to beat the others to win." Anakin explains. "There are galaxies to buy with the game armies that you start off with. Basically you start off with five hundred soldiers in your army and you have to take over other galaxies to build it up and then challenge the other players if you want one of their galaxies."

Thoughtfully, I nod. "That sounds like a fun game to play."

Anakin smiles. "I'm glad you think so because I always win," He says, snapping his fingers and making a large box appear on the coffee table. "Let's say the person who wins is allowed to throw something of their choice at the other."

"Fair enough," I agree.

For the next five minutes we set up the game that Anakin seems confident that he will win. I don't doubt that since this will be the first time that I've played the game and he has obviously played it many more times than I have. Speaking of games, where does he get all of this stuff? I am finding it extremely hard to believe that he just had all of these things on him when he was imprisoned in this room by the council because they were afraid of him. They may say that it was for other reasons but it is obvious every time they mention him that they are fearful of him. I can sense the small twinge of fear in them all apart from Master Kenobi. He's the only one with sense in this whole temple and I am counting Anakin in this.

The game board is a metal sheet with holographic technology inside of it. When you push the 'on' button it lights up and displays the various spaces in a square shape where you can fight for galaxies, rest your troops or miss a turn. I'm not even going to mention the 'turn of event' cards which can wipe out planets in your galaxies or give you another thousand for your army. There are four pieces which you can be and I chose to be the blue one because Anakin stole the white one for reasons which I am certain will come back to bite me when we're playing. The other two pieces are red and yellow which are two of my least favourite colours in the universe.

"Roll the dice and whoever gets the highest number gets to go first," Anakin instructs me after rolling the dice himself and getting a seven.

I roll the dice and get an eight which Anakin gives an outraged look about. Being beaten by one point always makes the loser more annoyed than they usually would be. I've had that with Barris often enough to know exactly how it feels. After getting to say so from Anakin, I roll the dice again and get a lower number than before. Though I doubt that five is an unlucky number it just seems like a rather plain number to get for your first move. Picking up my piece, I count five spaces and land on a 'turn of event' space which makes me pale and Anakin smirk. This cannot be good. I don't even had a galaxy yet and only five hundred troops in my army so if I lose anything I am going to be out so fast only a minute will have been used up this Saturday.

Reaching out, I pick up the card and turn to smirk at Anakin and show him the card. It reads: _You have been acknowledged as a fair and just force. You gain two thousand in your armies_. I watch with a grin as Anakin's cocky smirk fades faster than a light going out and the number beside my piece goes up from five hundred to two thousand five hundred. As I put the card at the bottom of the pile I can hear Anakin cursing fluently under his breath. Who's the best at this game now? I have to resist the urge to plaster a cocky look on my face so that he knows exactly what it feels like but decide to wait. A lot can change after the first move and it definitely will since Anakin is the best cheater in the galaxy.

"Lucky youngling..." He grumbles under his breath and I send him a glare in response. Why is he calling me a youngling when he just justified his immature behaviour to Master Kenobi?

Anakin picks up the dice and rolls them. To my suspiciousness, he gets a double six and moves up twelve spaces before rolling the dice again because he got a double and moving three spaces more. Now he's eight spaces away from me and that is nearly a quarter of the way around the board between us in one go. I'm fairly certain that he will be overtaking me soon or attacking me with an army of five hundred and miraculously winning. There's probably a lesson to be learned from all of this. Never play a board game with a force wielder unless you can cheat just as well as they can. I notice that Anakin has landed on the 'rest your army' space and give him a suspicious look. He doesn't have any bad things and he doesn't have the chance of the 'turn of event' cards. There is something that clearly points out when he is cheating but I decide to say nothing.

"Your go," Anakin says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes and pick up the dice. Honestly, if he gets any cockier he'll be trying to take on the entire droid army on his own... although, now that I think about it, he would probably survive with a few scratches on him. Damn it! There has to be some way for me to compare him to something and not realise a second later that he probably could do it if he wanted to. Sometimes I think that Anakin needs to be given a taste of his own medicine and he would most likely get that from someone on his planet. Oh wouldn't it be grand to observe the winner become the loser?- from some random person in the Jedi archives who's name I've forgotten.

After my turn if over, which I am mostly grateful for since I landed on the 'miss a go' space that made Anakin smirk _again_, Master Kenobi comes back to the lounge with two plates of breakfast that makes the stuff they five us in the mess hall look like gruel. He hands me one of them and I thank him before he sits on the sofa opposite us and watches with interest. It's obvious that he can't have played this game many times before either if not never. Anakin must be cheating on this game somehow because the next move gets him a 'turn of event' card which gives him and extra ten thousand troops for his army. Ten _thousand_ and I only got _two_ thousand. This is so unfair and it hardly seems like the best game in the galaxy as far as I am concerned.

"This doesn't seem like a very fair game to me, Anakin." Master Kenobi says when he notices that I am losing. "How can we be certain that you are not cheating?"

Anakin gives him his best innocent look. "Would I do that?"

"Yes." Master Kenobi replies plainly with a tone that shows how obvious the answer is. "And Ahsoka has to begin the construction of her lightsaber today since she did win the competition even though there was a slight problem at the end."

Lightsaber construction? I hadn't even thought about that. This means that I'm going to have to go to Ilum and retrieve my lightsaber crystal and spend most of my time trying to get my head around how to build a lightsaber in the first place. There's the complicated method of building the casing that has to be able to hold all of the fuses and have a compartment to hold the strength of the crystal and then I have to use the force to assemble all of the parts and you get the idea. Fortunately for me, Anakin seems to have this one in the bag which is really convenient since I could have sworn he was only in the Jedi order for a month or so.

"Lightsabers are easy to build. We had to do it every day at... well, where I grew up." Anakin says. "It can't take more than a day."

Master Kenobi rolls his eyes and effectively crushes my hopes of getting this done quickly in the next sentence he speaks. "This is a project that she had to do herself, Anakin. It isn't something that you can help with and is a Jedi's write of passage."

"I didn't go through it," Anakin protests.

"You were kidnapped before I could even mention it to you and taken to a planet in another galaxy." Master Kenobi reminds him.

"I fail to see the problem."

"No helping with Ahsoka's lightsaber." Master Kenobi says clearly so that even Anakin will understand.

Anakin makes an unhappy noise under his breath and rolls his eyes. "Jedi writes of passage messing with my game time..." He mutters under his breath and reminding me of the two year olds in the nursery who won't go to sleep. "Fine. The sooner your lightsaber is built the sooner we can go back to me crushing you."

I glare at him but it seems to have no effect what-so-ever. He's hardly crushing me because of him getting ten thousand more troops to his army. That's only eight thousand more than I have and I still think that he's cheating. True, there is no way for me to know for certain but that just makes it all the more likely that Anakin has charmed this game to only work for him somehow. I have no idea how he could do it or where he would have learned it, other than on his planet, but I just know that there is something he has done or will do.

Ignoring him all together for a few moments, I focus on eating my breakfast of eggs and bacon. It's much, much better than anything in the mess hall and is slightly more tasty than even Anakin's breakfasts. I suppose that when you're a Jedi and you have to eat all of the rubbish things in the mess hall whenever you get the chance to cook for yourself you take it. Every youngling knows that the Jedi masters are great cooks, with the exception of Master Yoda though we would never say it out loud, and if you ever need a good meal you just have to catch them around dinner time and put on your best hungry face. I've pulled that trick on Master Plo about a hundred times now and when he figured out what was going on I was gutted. No more free meals for me, or so I thought until Anakin started giving me them.

"What style do you fight in?" Anakin asks me.

"Uh, I use the reverse grip and mainly Djem So." I reply.

Anakin nods. "Right. Strong casing with grips and crystal holder to the left. You want to get started now?"

"Anakin, you can't help her." Master Kenobi reminds him.

"I wasn't going to... much." Anakin admits. "Besides, Starkiller has a lightsaber and I'd rather not have to use mine since it brings back lots of painful memories."

"You have a lightsaber?"

"Obi-Wan, I'm a force wielder who was taught to practice every form of the force when I was growing up. Saber fighting is classed as one of the things that I would have done a lot."

I frown. "Didn't you say you didn't take the saber fighting lessons?"

"Of course I did because then nobody would have been trying to take it from me and I wouldn't have been forced to get violent," Anakin explains. "Plus, I don't want to lose it because I've already lost ten lightsabers, broken seven and had three sliced in half in fights. That's twenty sabers, Snips."

"I can count you know," I grumble with narrowed eyes.

"As much as I can see that being possible, nobody can go through that many lightsabers Anakin." Master Kenobi says. "How did you even make them?"

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "Lightsaber Assembly Kit."

"What?"

"Lightsaber Assembly Kit. They sell them on my planet to people over the age of thirteen although you do see a lot of little kids running around with them. That's what the protection fields are for." Anakin gives a brief explanation.

"It sounds like that could be very dangerous."

"On a planet of immortal beings who can only be killed by other force wielders with extreme amounts of power it isn't as dangerous as you might think. Whenever you get hit it just feels like your being tickled or something but it is rather painful for me since I wasn't born on that planet and have some mortal properties. It's too complicated for me to explain."

Master Kenobi shakes his head slowly. "Your planet seems like a Jedi's paradise if you ask me."

"Believe me it is. I'll show you some day if you'd like but not any of the other council members. They're afraid of me and I don't trust them." Anakin replies.

"Jedi do not feel fear." Master Kenobi reminds him although I don't believe that is true considering the councils actions.

"Tell that to the emotions I sensed from them when I demonstrated my force abilities to them. Paranoid old coots in tunics -" He catches himself at the sight of Master Kenobi's piercing glare. "- who are fighting a war for the republic and saving the lives of thousands."

I smirk. "Nice save." I mutter sarcastically, though the sarcasm is well hidden in my tone.

"Thanks, Snips." Anakin says with a smirk of his own. He obviously didn't realise that I was being sarcastic but at the risk of being beaten to a pulp in a pillow fight I'm not about to correct him.

"You have to start constructing your lightsaber now, Ahsoka." Master Kenobi says. "No more games until you're finished."

I pout. That is completely unfair.

"Yeah, I can play against Obi-Wan and see how long it takes me to beat him." Anakin adds with a mischievous grin. Something tells me that Master Kenobi isn't going to be as content playing the game as I was.


	28. The Opportunity, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**The Opportunity, Ahsoka Tano**_

I didn't think that the whole 'Lightsaber Assembly Kit' thing was real until Anakin got bored of waiting for me to figure out how to begin building my lightsaber and used the force to summon it. Now I know that these things are all coming from somewhere because he wasn't carrying it around with him when he arrived back in the galaxy which means that he either has a great memory of how to build it or he has a friend who sends these things to him. Master Kenobi wasn't too happy about Anakin helping me out despite everything but said that as long as I was only following how to make the key components and not the ones that had to be personalised for me that it was fine. I don't think he'll be telling anyone else about it any time soon though.

Building a lightsaber is so complicated. Theres the blade shroud, focusing crystals, hand grips, insulators, cycling field energizers, ring tuning fladge, magnetic stabilizing ring and so much more. I can hardly understand why three weeks ago I was actually _excited _to be building my own lightsaber and getting my own crystal. Thank the force that Anakin keeps whispering things to me whenever it's Master Kenobi's turn at the game and he is concentrating far too much to hear us. I might actually get this done in the right way now. The casing is kind of hard to build but I've taken to using the force to assemble all of the pieces together very, very slowly. It's annoying because it seems to take just as long to get all of the different components built with the force as it does with me by hand.

"Forty men standing. Looks like I win this galaxy from you, Obi-Wan." Anakin says with a grin.

"You are the luckiest person alive, Anakin." Master Kenobi replies, rolling his eyes.

"You're just jealous because I'm the one who's winning." Anakin retorts. "There's someone at the door." He adds offhandedly right before the sound of knocking is heard at the doorway. Talk about your helpful predictions.

Master Kenobi just sighs at Anakin's comment and shouts "The doors open!" to whoever has disturbed our atmosphere of fun and games. Well, it's all fun and games for Anakin but I'm still trying to build my lightsaber and Master Kenobi is losing worse that I was at chess. I focus on my lightsaber again and smile when I see that I have successfully made the handgrips and stabilizing ring along with the blade shroud. I should have this done quickly if things keep going this way and if Anakin keeps whispering hints to me. However, my glee is short lived when I see Master Plo walk into the room with a large book in his hand that he drops in my lap. It reads: 'Studies For The Youngling Annual Tests'. I panic right away but with Anakin reading the title over my shoulder I can't exactly make a run for it.

"Oh, is it time for Ahsoka to continue studying already?" Master Kenobi asks with arched eyebrows. Something tells me that he knew this was going to happen sooner or later.

"I'm afraid it is." Master Plo confirms. "Since Master Yoda does not feel it is safe for Ahsoka to return to her classes for the next few days she must continue her studies here."

From his position looking over my shoulder, Anakin frowns at the book. "This looks an awful lot like something I had to do when I was twelve." He comments. "Really boring and really annoying."

"Anakin, anything that involves reading a large book is boring and annoying for you." Master Kenobi reminds him. "You can't give her any of the answers just like you can't help her with her lightsaber."

"Party pooper." Anakin says with a slight pout. "How am I supposed to beat her at this game if she's always studying?"

"I doubt there's anything in this world that could stop you from beating the first person who walked through your door at this game, Anakin." Master Kenobi replies. "Thank you for delivering it, Master Plo."

Master Plo nods. "Take care." He says before turning around and leaving the room and me with a sinking feeling in my stomach. This is just great. Anakin was supposed to be the person who could get me _out_ of studying and now that the council know that we're friends they've taken that away from me. Stupid Jedi tests with their hard to learn answers and memory games.

Once the sound of the door closing is heard, Anakin plucks the book right out of my lap and starts to flip through it. "Yep, this is exactly the same as what I did when I was twelve. The answer key never changes. It's A,B,B,C,A,C,B every time and it rotates."

"Anakin!" Master Kenobi says in protest but it is too late. My brain immediately recognized that as information to get me out of my most hated task and stored the information in a place where I can get it at any time.

"What? Ahsoka would have had to study for a test _and_ build her first lightsaber. Besides, just because she knows the answers doesn't mean you can't get her to read the book every once in a while." Anakin says, giving me the perfect excuse that I have dreamed about for years.

Sighing, Master Kenobi shakes his head and goes back to making his move in the game. "That is besides the point. Studying is what makes Jedi so smart and able to fight well."

"Obi-Wan, if studying made Jedi smart half of your council wouldn't have tried to break into my mind." Anakin reminds him. "I still don't know why I don't just break out of here. It would be so easy."

Master Kenobi frowns. "Anakin, if you've been able to break out of here this whole time why don't you?"

"Because there's a fifty percent chance that blowing a hole in the wall will destroy the support beam nearby and crush this quarter of the Jedi temple."

"Oh. I see."

Anakin sighed dramatically. "I'm bored. Beating you is too easy."

"You haven't beaten me yet, Anakin." Master Kenobi reminds him, crossing his arms over his chest. "However, if you are bored, there is always something else you could be doing."

"Really? What?"

"Help us beat Starkiller."

"No." Anakin replies without pause. "I've already told you that I am not going to fight him unless I have to."

"Anakin you do have to. He attacked Ahsoka didn't he?" Master Kenobi points out.

"The protection field looked after her. I don't need to find him just because of that."

That is the most obvious sign of not caring I have ever seen. Honestly, Anakin gives off these really strong signs when he actually thinks something completely different. That might be why the Jedi council decided to 'imprison' him in here. Oh, the protection field will look after sweet little eleven year old Ahsoka I don't have to do anything! Yeah right! He told me himself that I could still get knocked out and get some of the minor injuries and after what happened during the competition I don't have a lot of faith in this whole protection field thing. It can protect me from death but not from getting myself blown up and breaking my arm. Some protection.

"Anakin, she's still in the room." Master Kenobi says, rubbing his eyes. It's a bit late to be reminding him of that if you ask me. "Plus, the amount of injuries she received from that competition tell me that your protection field isn't very good."

"It just needs time to strengthen up," Anakin gives an excuse. "Within that week she was unconscious it strengthened enough to block Starkillers weakest attack."

"And what about his strongest? Anakin, if he comes back and goes for Ahsoka, resulting in him kidnapping her, what will you do then?"

"Hunt him down. Find her. Kill him. What's your point?"

I roll my eyes and put even more focus into building my lightsaber. That has to be a new record for the most contradicting answer in the galaxy. First, he says that the protection field will protect me as an excuse before dropping the bombshell that it needs time to get more powerful to block any of the attacks that Starkiller means to be _powerful_. Blocking the weakest attacks... ha! They hardly seemed weak to me and a force wielder using the dark side to get what he wants is something that I consider a threat. I need a shield that is powerful enough to block any and _all _of his attacks. Master Kenobi must have not gotten this point into Anakin's head because he said the answer to his last question so calmly. 'Hunt him down. Find her. Kill him.' How much simpler can you put it?

"Fine, if you won't listen to me then maybe you will listen to her. The council have assigned her the mission of convincing you as of yesterday." Master Kenobi says unexpectedly.

Now, if I had a drink or some food in my mouth I would have choked on it but since I don't the only thing that my reaction caused was for the many parts of my 'lightsaber' to clatter to the ground when I lose my concentration. Anakin is so shocked that he accidentally uses his turn to rest his troops and Master Kenobi's galaxy kills twenty of the forty that he has left. The council want me to do... what? Okay, let me set the record straight. When I first met Anakin he got all suspicious about the council sending me to convince him to sell all of his secrets and so on. I basically vowed never to do anything for them that would make him uncomfortable. This is entirely unexpected and stupid.

"Say what?"

"I don't remember being told about that." I say with a frown.

"We thought it best not to keep any secrets from Anakin since he'll figure it out rather quickly." Master Kenobi explains.

I nod slowly, understanding on some level what he is talking about. Anakin, on the other hand, seems rather annoyed. "Why can't they just accept the fact that I am not going to help the people who betrayed my trust? It's not happening, Obi-Wan. Sorry, but it's not."

"Do I have to remind you that had you two not caused that disturbance in the force I would be dead right now? Starkiller is a threat that needs to be neutralised as quickly as possible."

"Yep, and that involves killing two birds with one stone. The council want me to do this because they think there's a chance that we'll both kill each other and that they can forget about this whole mess. I've never had to wonder why the Jedi order tried to wipe out force wielders millions of years ago." Anakin says with narrowed eyes.

"The Jedi order tried to wipe out all force wielders?" I ask in surprise. That's something I hadn't known.

Anakin nods. "Yes. The key word being 'try'. The force wielders were completely peaceful and then one of them became dark so the Jedi thought that they had to wipe out the entire race. Obviously they failed and the order still exists only because of the fact that the force wielders are _peaceful_. Any person who could fall down a dark path is either sequestered or cast off planet. That might be how Starkiller got here, actually. He was neutral but never picked any of the four sides of the force."

"What do you mean four sides?"

"Well, there's the light side and the dark side, as you know, but there's also the Unifying force where there is no light or dark and only power and there's the Living force with all living things. I find that the force wielders who are dedicated to the Living force are the most amusing of the lot. The Unifying force is souly focused on power so you can guess how those lot are."

"How come we don't get taught about the Unifying force and the Living force in classes?" I question out of curiosity.

"It is generally believed that they promote paths to the dark side." Master Kenobi replies.

"The dark side? Please!" Anakin snorts. "First of all, the Living force is focused on animals and plant life which the force flows through and promotes the caring sort of personality and the Unifying force teaches of both the light and the dark but ensures that you cannot pick either one which makes the force sensitive neutral. I hardly see a threat with either of them and it would be easier if you just taught the younglings about this so they know to avoid the 'dark path'."

Wow. Talk about your great explanations.

Master Kenobi is practically gaping from half way through Anakin's speech up until he finishes and a minute afterwards. "That's... more than enough to convince me that they don't lead to the dark side." He says finally and slowly. "How do you know all of this?"

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "Lessons, books, lectures... whatever you call things that give you information. Your Jedi archives are nothing compared to the libraries that I've been to."

"_You've_ been in a library?" I ask in disbelief.

"I had to study for a test and they'd locked the door." Anakin explains.

"Anakin, if those who believe in the Unifying force are neutral then how do you explain all of the dictators that have used their power to force obedience in the galaxy?" Master Kenobi asks and I can tell that he's trying to prove that the Jedi have had it right all along. I gave up trying that weeks ago.

"Those who practice the Unifying force may be able to get extreme amounts of power but if you teach those who are interested in it of the dangers and don't give them the restrictions that the Jedi order give their younglings with the Jedi code then they won't become ruthless or power-hungry. Both are aspects of the dark side and the dark can be over powered by both the light _and_ the Unifying force." Anakin replies without pause. "Therefore, having practitioners of the Unifying force in your order will make dealing with anything that you deem a threat quick and easy."

There's the bombshell. I know that it might not have seemed obvious but for those who know him it is clear that the underlying message in that speech was that the Jedi code is the reason for Jedi to go rogue or turn to the dark side. There are many Jedi in the temple who believe this but not more than a quarter and anyone who comes forward is suspected of being on the dark path and an investigation is launched. I find this to be really unfair since you are allowed to express your beliefs. In the opinion of the public, the Jedi code was made by the grandmaster at the time who had their heart broken and wanted to justify a way to get back at that person by banning love for all Jedi. Adding the fear and hate thing would have made it seem foolproof for any Jedi but not for anyone else. Sometimes I think that the people who aren't Jedi are able to see our faults better than we are.

"You should come to a council meeting sometime," Master Kenobi says after a few minutes of stunned silence. "It would be interesting to see you argue with Master Yoda."

"An argument which I would win, by the way." Anakin adds with that usual cocky attitude of his.

"I'm not so sure about that, Anakin. He always seems to come up with a good reason to counter any arguments against how the Jedi order is today."

"What? Like the one where using the example of _one_ person who went astray to justify losing generations of wasted opportunities? I swear this is the reason why the sith are always one step ahead of you. They adapt and the order doesn't. Anyway, I have had enough of arguing with people who are going on the 'principals' of those who lived millions of years ago. There is a very big chance that the Jedi code wasn't even like this when the order was first made."

"I hardly think that is true."

"And yet there is every possibility that it is. So, I am not going to kill Starkiller for the council because they don't deserve it. I can quite honestly say that so long as Starkiller does not come here and provoke me then I am not going to get involved." Anakin says with finality in his voice.

"Isn't Starkiller the reason that I was in unimaginable pain yesterday?" I ask, breaking the silence.

Anakin looks at me with wide eyes before sighing and putting a hand over his eyes. "He's on Serenno training with Count Dooku and their master Darth Sidious. You go there at night and you might be able to capture him. I will make sure that he doesn't sense you but that is _all_ I am doing since this is not my business... yet. That's the best your gonna get Obi-Wan."

I smile in triumph and go back to building my lightsaber. That was the easiest thing I've ever done. Ahsoka: one. Anakin: zero. Take that you full of yourself force wielding maniac!

"Thank you, Anakin." Master Kenobi says with a sigh of relief. I know exactly how he feels. Anakin is stubborn and if their conversation hadn't gone that way I have no idea how I would have been able to even consider trying to get him to take on Starkiller for the republic. I guess this is just a step in the right direction. "I will go and tell the council now. No building the lightsaber for Ahsoka." He says sternly with a warning tone in his voice.

"I wont," Anakin assures him as he gets up and leaves the room. "But I will build enough so that he doesn't realise."

"Won't he notice that I don't know how to build a lightsaber if mine breaks at some point?" I question.

"That's what instructions are for, Snips." Anakin says with a grin as he hands me a book with lots of pictures of lightsabers on it. "Read that until you know it by heart, mostly, and then Obi-Wan won't know a thing. Remember, everything stays between us."

"How can you go from admitting you know where Starkiller is to all happy again in a split second?" I ask, confused.

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know. It could be the fact that I have no concept of common sense these days, it could be because I'm not using my powers enough and it's creating an overload or it could be that I want to kill someone and I can't."

I arch both of my eye marks. "Your having an overload?"

"Should I not get to do anything to use up this spare force power then yes, by the end of the week there will be a massive hole in the ground wherever I am standing. Do you think I should have told Obi-Wan that?"

I had better be dreaming. 'Oh, my name is Anakin Skywalker and I'm about to have a massive power overload and I don't think I should have told anyone about it!' I can see it now. With all of the fluttering eyes and high pitched voice like he's a little girl. There is one question on my mind and I think it's a rather good one. How stupid do you have to be not to mention to anyone that you are in serious trouble? Better yet, how stupid do you have to be not to mention that you are about to do something that will blow a massive whole in the Jedi temple? He said himself that blowing a hole in the wall would destroy the nearby support beam and bring this section of the temple down.

"Maybe a few hints or something," I suggest, trying to remain calm. "A massive hole in the ground won't exactly be a good thing."

"It would for me," Anakin grumbles, rubbing his eyes. "This hurts like hell itself."

"Wait, it hurts when you don't have things to do to get rid of all of that excess power?" I ask. "Why don't you just find things to do?"

"There is only so much to do in a suite, Ahsoka. I can think of a million things to do that doesn't involve me being _in here_ that would cure this in an instant. There's always making things grow on Naboo, causing a huge blizzard on Hoth or a sandstorm on Tattoine... actually, no, I promised never to go back to that hell hole... I could make another section of the temple from scratch."

"The blizzard and sandstorm sound like normal things to do but if you need someway to get rid of some of your built up power then why not ask Master Kenobi if you could go outside for a few minutes? I'm sure no-one would mind since you did tell them where to find Starkiller." I reason.

Anakin scoffs. "They went through enough effort building a place to keep me in the temple, Snips. Even though the only reason I stay is because I don't want to kill about a hundred younglings. Besides, when I get out of this room it will _not_ be only for a few minutes. A day at the _very_ least, Snips. At the _very_ least."

I roll my eyes. "Okay, okay, drama queen."

"Hey! Who's helping you make your lightsaber?"

"No-one at the moment. It's in pieces on the floor."

With a glare, Anakin waves his hand and the pieces flow through the air to come to levitate in front of him and he starts to wave his hand multiple times to assemble them all into the various bits and pieces that can only be attached together when I have my lightsaber crystal. He does a much better job of it than I was doing ten minutes ago and I don't care whether it is because he's done this more times than I have or because he knows the instructions by heart but I do care about making sure that if I ever have to build another one I will get Anakin to do it. I'm just thinking of the time that I could spend doing other things when people think that I'm building a lightsaber.

"Here you go," Anakin says once all of the pieces have been assembled and the bottom half of the lightsaber has been constructed. "When you get your crystal you can finish it then."

I smile and take the half constructed lightsaber and the remaining parts that can't be fitted yet. It looks quite nice actually. I'm rather happy that I chose the pieces that I did and so on because I doubt that it would look the same when made out of anything else. The focusing crystals are in place but I don't know how he got those since I was having trouble thinking about how to get them myself. It fits perfectly in my hand with a small amount of room for when I grow so that it won't be uncomfortable or force me to make a new one and is more suited for the reverse grip than the normal grip that Anakin keeps trying to get me to use when fighting so I guess that I won that battle with him.

"What are we going to do now?" I ask curiously.

"Give me a moment," Anakin says before flicking his wrist. I watch as the game packs itself away and then soars out of the room back to where it came from. "Okay. I'm thinking snacks and a movie. Is that alright?"

I nod. "Yes, that sounds fun."


	29. Power Outage, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Power Outage, Ahsoka Tano**_

I am rather enjoying the days when me and Anakin sit down on the couch with a coffee table full of snacks and watch HoloVids in silence. It's always better to watch a movie with someone who doesn't talk. True, I've never watched one with any of the other younglings but I have heard the padawans complain to each other about their noisy masters. In fact, we get halfway through the second HoloVid before the screen starts to flicker. What really annoys me is that it was just about to get to the best part in the whole thing. I look at Anakin for help when the screen continues to flicker but he is just sat there with a frown on his face. Suddenly, his whole body tenses, eyes widen and he shoots up to his feet.

"He's here." Anakin says, confusing me.

"Uh... he who?" I ask with a frown.

"Starkiller." Anakin answers with a cautious glance around the room as if he might break in at any moment.

I stand up quicker than I ever have in my life. "Starkiller's here again? I thought you said he was on Serreno?"

Anakin nods slowly. "He _was _but he's moved and it's too quickly for him to have used a ship. I think... I think he might have learned how to travel through space without the use of a ship." As soon as he finishes talking, he heads right for the door.

"But... how?" I question as I follow him. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"He came here to find you, Snips." Anakin says as his hands fly over the control panel and override the automatic locking system in moments. "I'd bet anything that he's already sensed you but he can't sense me since I have permanent shielding. Just... follow me because if he finds a way in here then it isn't going to be pretty."

One phrase to describe Anakin right now. Man on a mission. "Hold on, shouldn't you just stay in your room? If Starkiller finds out about you too then no-one will be safe. You have to stay here."

Anakin turns to look at me and stops half way down the corridor. "Ahsoka," He says warningly.

"No. You have to stay and do something else other than letting him see you." I hold firm.

"Oh? And what are you going to do? I told you the protection field needs time to strengthen. It's been around you for a month now but it isn't enough for a dark force wielder like Starkiller."

"Can you just have some faith in me? I'll be fine. Wait here." I ignore the look of uncertainty that currently occupies his face and sprint past him and down the corridor.

Now I can sense what Anakin sensed. A very, very dark and powerful presence inside of the temple but in the hanger this time. I really shouldn't be running towards it if you count the fact that I am completely powerless and will be beaten to a pulp within seconds but I have faith that I might make it out alive. When I race down the corridors and towards the hanger I notice that all of the other Jedi that I come across are sprinting in that direction too. They all seem to be terrible at hiding their looks of concern since they look like a nuke has just gone off in the senate building. Although, this is probably even worse than a nuke going off in the senate building.

Of course, since I'm the youngling, I can't run as fast as they can and this is both good and bad. Bad because I won't reach the hanger to see what's going on and then come up with a plan on how to get rid of Starkiller and good because none of them can tell me to go back to my room and wait there until they've solved the problem. A problem caused by me being here in the first place. I try to keep up with them as best as I can but it doesn't do me any good. The best I can do to keep up with them is to run my fastest and even then I'm a good two or three corridors behind them with the odd glimpse of one of their arms or legs as they sprint around the corner.

I reach the hanger about a minute after the last Jedi I see runs there and when I get there it isn't pretty. There are ships everywhere, fire spouting from crumbled bits of wall and Jedi that have been flung away from the force wielder standing in the middle of it all grunt in pain upon impact of whatever they land on. I can safely say that when I ran in and Starkiller looked right at me I completely panicked. The good thing is that there were other younglings there; the bad thing is that some of them are my clan mates and the twins give me a look that says in capitals '_run_'. Now, I'm no expert, but when a fireball is thrown at me by an evil force wielder I don't exactly have a lot of time to run. I prefer to duck down and hide behind one of the broken and battered ships whilst all hell breaks lose around me.

To be more specific, Starkiller's attention is off everyone else and onto me.

"Ahsoka! Run!" A voice shouts at me. I'm pretty sure that it's from either my clan mates or the twins. With all of this racket around me I can't pick out the specific sounds that tell me who is speaking or not.

Another fireball is thrown at me and I have to lean to the side to avoid getting burned by the flames. My clothing is scorched and the heat stings my arm since I put it over my head to avoid going blind from the light of it. I can sense that Starkiller is getting closer so I take a chance and dive for the next bit of cover I can find. Coincidentally, there is already a Jedi hiding behind this one and I know exactly who it is. You know, I could have sworn that Master Plo was on another mission or something important for the republic because he did leave in a hurry after giving me that massive book to learn. Anyway, all of that aside, he looks furious about me leaving the safety of Anakin's room. Or maybe it was because I got into trouble again?

"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be staying with Skywalker!" He shouts at me over the loud explosions around us.

Okay. It's the first reason for me. I left Anakin's room and told him to stay there and to just let me handle it. Now I see that I was an idiot. Not so much because of Anakin's warnings but because of the angry Kel Dor sitting beside me dodging the fireballs that come our way.

"He... uh... well, he wanted to come but I thought if Starkiller found out about him then all hell would break lose." I say as an excuse. He does not look pleased.

"In case you haven't noticed Ahsoka, all hell has broken lose _already_." Master Plo reminds me sternly.

"I'm sure he has a plan." I tell him reassuringly though it doesn't do much to calm him. Even I'm having problems finding reassurance from _that_.

I get a huge warning from the force and dive forwards just as something slams into the ship that we were both hiding behind and causes it to shoot forwards and into the air. Master Plo is flung off to the side somewhere and the ship comes down to land _right on top of me_. Let me tell you now that I am _so_ happy that I have a protection field. It's like a wisp of air creating a tiny barrier between me and the ship so it appears to land on me but is suspended just off of my body. No pain for me just yet, thank force. None of my body parts sticks out from underneath the massive metal ship but there is a small space where I can just about see Starkillers dark form coming towards me. I curse fluently but quietly enough for nobody to hear.

I am _so _dead.

With a flourish, he sends a wave of black smoke at me and I close my eyes tight bracing for the impact. So, imagine how surprised I was when it never came. I am going to be dead by the time this day is over. Starkiller was so focused on me that he didn't notice a very powerful and very angry Anakin walk into the hanger with lights dancing around him. He held out his hand, palm facing upwards towards the spot where I am and the black smoke bounced right off of an invisible shield and was thrust back at Starkiller, blinding him. What surprises me is that Starkiller still has no idea that Anakin is there which is odd because you'd think you would know who the person beating you up is.

Anakin uses the force to grab the ship that is on top of me and flings it at the dark force wielder with all of his might. As it comes off of me I breathe a sigh of relief and lift my head; that was one scary thing to have on top of is sent right out of the hanger with the ship and I am fairly certain that he was sent off planet because the thrusters on the ship activated the moment it was in the air. I seem to recall being told that the Jedi starfighters in the hanger have some of the most powerful thrusters in the galaxy. Wow, if that thing had started while it was on top of me I would have been skewered.

"Holy force... Ahsoka!"

Did someone say my name? I look around and have to squint because my eyes burn for an unknown reason but am able to vaguely make out the familiar shapes of that the one with the dark blonde hair is Anakin. I sit up and rub my forehead to try and get it to stop hurting. Even with the protection field it seems that smacking my head on the floor is a very bad thing to do. Thank the force I didn't hit my lekku. That would have been worse than a broken bone and shattered ribs _any_ day of the inter-galactic week.

"Oh wow, are you okay?" Jay asks. Now that my vision is starting to clear up I can see them clearly.

I nod and cringe when pain shoots through my forehead. "I'm good. Well, apart from a headache."

"That was so strange! Who was that guy? How did he do all of that?" Kay questions in quick succession.

"He's a force wielder named Starkiller and before you ask, yes, he is on the dark side." Anakin answers for me.

"Who are you?"

"Anakin Skywalker. A force wielder on the _light side_." I can pretty much tell why he put emphasis on the last two words. Some of the council members think he's evil and they just happen to be in the hanger with us right now.

"Wait a minute... aren't force wielders those immortal guys?" Jay asks slowly.

Anakin nods with an exasperated sigh. "Yes. The 'immortal guys'. You must be the twins who get Ahsoka into trouble.

"We don't get her into trouble _all_ of the time." Kay protests.

"I know that's because the rest of the time she's with me watching HoloVids." Anakin points out smartly. "Or playing chess, or watching me beat Obi-Wan at games, or complaining about having to clean Windu's room..." Here he looks pointedly at them. "Which, by the way, I thought was awesome."

"Are you ever serious about anything?" I ask, curious and exasperated.

He pretends to think for a moment. "You know, I don't think there is."

I sigh and go back to rubbing my stinging forehead. There is one thing about my life that repeats in my mind every few days or so. I am surrounded by idiots. Not all of them are idiots but most of them just act like it so much that they become them. I wonder if there is any intelligence in any of them sometimes.

"I thought you said that Starkiller was on Serreno with Dooku?" Master Windu asks, at least I think it's him. My eyesight still needs improvement along with the hearing. There's this ringing noise in my head.

"He was but he travelled here." Anakin replies. "You'd be surprised at how fast force wielders can travel when they don't use ships."

"And can you do that?"

"I've never tried. Besides, I like flying ships."

"There is a difference between what you like and what you have to do, Skywalker." Master Windu's stern voice retorts. "How many powers do force wielders have?"

"You want to know the truth?"

"Yes."

"Unlimited."

Stunned silence meets him and everyone but me and my friends go wide eyed. I already know that force wielders can do next to anything, my friends have no idea what is going on but the other's who are council members know that this is bad for them. Very, very bad.

"Excuse me?"

Anakin sighs and rolls his eyes. "The only thing that a force wielder cannot do is bring someone back from the dead. Well, a rogue force wielder that is. How many times do I have to tell you that my people are _peaceful_. I don't even know how Starkiller got here but I know that he wasn't raised on my planet so it isn't our fault."

"Be that as it may, how are you going to solve the problem?"

"Oh? Excuse me? You want me to solve a problem that I didn't even start? Hey! This is probably because your order attacked my people millions of years ago because you saw them as a 'threat'." He uses his hands to make quotation marks in the air. "I only did that because he was attacking Ahsoka." It doesn't take a genius to know that he is now extremely offended.

"I thought it was illegal for you to attack Starkiller unless he provoked you first?" I ask out of curiosity.

Anakin opens his mouth to answer but is cut off by Master Plo.

"Wait, you're not allowed to attack him unless he provokes you?" He asks, confused. "You never told us that."

"You never asked." Anakin replies off-handedly. "Besides, he dropped a ship on top of Ahsoka and I am only allowed to retaliate _once_ when someone attacks my friend. Now," He turns his attention back to me. "Where does it hurt? Don't lie and say it doesn't because you haven't stopped rubbing your forehead for the past five minutes."

The council members back off and seem to start processing the information that Anakin isn't allowed to help them in their minds whilst my clan mates circle me and Anakin like a herd of Shaak. "I think I hit my head on the floor when I dived," I admit sheepishly.

Anakin rolls his eyes again and lifts his hand to my forehead to start healing me. The twins' jaws drop comically with their eyes almost popping out of their sockets. I know exactly how they feel. When Anakin first healed me I can bet I looked almost exactly like that. Well, I was pretty dazed from getting chased by those bullies so I don't know if I would have looked _exactly_ like that but it must have been something similar. I start to feel better right away and wait for something else to happen. There are two things I am anticipating will happen. One; the council are going to drag Anakin up to the council chambers and ask him every question they have. Two; my friends are going to drag me into my room and ask me every question they have. It's not what I like to have on my to do list.

"Woah," The twins chorus in a quiet gasp.

Shows how weird this is to everyone else for the second time today.

"There, do you have a headache any more?" Anakin asks.

I shake my head. "No. It's gone now." I reply honestly.

He nods in acceptance of my answer and takes a look around the room. I can safely say that I wish he hadn't because the next second Pedro, the slimy git, grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to them and away from Anakin.

"Start talking. _Now_," He hisses as me and I glare at him, clenching my jaw.

"Oi, let her go you spoiled sharloten." Kay snaps, giving Pedro a hard shove so that he falls onto his bottom. "You damn nearly killed her in the competition and I'll be a dead man before you get the chance to do it again."

"She's friends with a _force wielder_. They're immortal and all powerful and _dangerous_." Pedro retorts.

"Didn't you hear them just now? They're _peaceful_. Not to mention the fact that they aren't allowed to attack anyone."

"Then why is that one attacking us?"

"Why are there sith attacking us?" Jay asks sarcastically. "You aren't that thick, slime ball, some people just go down a dark path."

"Yeah, but at least _we_ can control them." Pedro snaps.

"In case you haven't noticed my frog legged nemesis, there's a war going on. Do you call _that_ controlling them? Because if you do I would just _love_ to hear your definition of not controlling them. Shut your mouth and stay or get the hell out before we make you. Force, why are you always so harsh to her now?"

"Maybe because she attacked members of our clan to get them out of the competition?"

"She didn't, you twit. It was Slimo and his thugs."

"You don't know that for sure."

"As it happens, we do. There are four primary gossip places for all younglings and we heard from each and every one of them that Slimo was caught in the act by a youngling in the Frost Clan before he knocked him out. So do your homework on things before you bring them up. Now, I think we're done pointing out one of your problems. Unless you want us to point out more of them, go the hell away." Jay hisses threateningly and it takes all of five seconds for Pedro to leave the room.

I don't understand why he left so quickly since he seemed so argumentative earlier but soon see the reason why. Anakin is giving a death glare to the spot that Pedro just vanished from and I'll bet that when Pedro actually _was_ here that Anakin was trying to murder him with that stare. Considering the fact that a force wielder took particular interest in Pedro, it's no wonder that it captured the council's attention too. I don't think I've ever seen Master Fisto look so proud of Kay and Jay. He's the one who found them both stealing food to eat from a smugglers ship on Correlia because they were starving and their parents weren't around. Now that I think about it, I don't think they ever found their parents again after that so they were just brought here at age two.

"Bloody Pedro," Kay grumbles under his breath. "Paranoid as ever."

"Hmm, I wonder what would happen if we started calling him Paranoid Pedro?" Jay questions thoughtfully.

"I'd give you a medal." Anakin answers without pause. "Explain to me how this 'Slimo' person is any worse than that one?"

"Pedro is an idiot and Slimo is a git."

"Skywalker, stop encouraging the younglings to swear." Master Windu scolds though if I didn't know better I could have sworn there was amusement in his tone. That Jedi master is _never_ amused about anything.

"It's not my fault that one of the kids is named after the most prominent swear-word on Tattoine." Anakin says in his defence. "Or that the other looks like a rancor in mating season." He adds quietly.

The twins hold in their laughter much better than I thought they would. In all of my life I have never seen them hide a laugh from anyone but I guess when you have twelve of the most respected Jedi masters in the temple standing in the same room as you it has some impact on what you do.

"Aren't you the least bit worried that Starkiller might come back?" Master Windu asks, his eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"No. He's going to need a few days to recover at the very least so there's nothing to worry about right now."

"How about what you're going to do if he comes back?"

"Wait to see if he tries attacking outright and if he goes for Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, or these twins that I rather like, I kill him. I've never understood why you can't just rest and relax in the time off that you get." Anakin answers.

"Not all of us are acting like children."

"For the record, I am still technically classed as one since I'm not twenty-one yet. Now, should we get out of the hanger or do you want to wait for something?"

Master Windu rolls his eyes. "The younglings will go back to their quarters whilst you and Tano go back to your room. A force wielder can do next to anything, remember?"

"Yes, and one is right in front of you. Starkiller is _gone_, Windu. G-O-N-E. Gone. Focusing on a problem when there isn't one is just a waste of your time and energy. There's still a war for you to fight and I sincerely doubt that Starkiller will be here for long. Contrary to beliefs, he hasn't gone unnoticed by the people on my planet." Anakin says unexpectedly before helping me to my feet. "Let's go. I need a slushie and you need shurra fruit. Honestly, you're so pale..."

* * *

_**Senate Building, Chancellor Palpatine .aka Darth Sidious **_

I lift my head from a rotten senate bill that I am 'considering' when a disturbance in the force reaches me. Surprise runs through me when I realise that the disturbance was caused by the pain of my apprentice Starkiller. This shocks me as he is the most powerful being in the galaxy and can be defeated by no-one and nothing has ever stopped him before. I rack my brain and use the dark side for guidance to discover what could have possibly caused this when I come across a vague memory of a meeting I had with Starkiller two days ago.

I had been extremely angered when I sensed my apprentices presence on Coruscant without my express permission since that Jedi would be able to sense him easily and called a meeting with him. It took an hour for him to respond and that only fuelled my rage even more but it all vanished in a heartbeat when he gave his reason. My apprentice had sensed the presence of a powerful force user that he had first been intrigued by and then discovered after a confrontation that the person in question had powers in the force great enough to rival his own. He, a powerful force wielder on the dark side, had a rival in the Jedi temple.

This did not go down well with me and the rage of the dark side was hard to cope with. I had to allow him to give me a name so that I could look into it and then punish him with sith lightning for his incompetence and for not informing me first. When he told me that he did not know her name I flew into a blind rage only for calmness to immediately overtake me when he told me that the person in question was a youngling who hadn't entered her teenage years yet. Now I remember it all clearly. I had ended the conversation with him after a stern reminder and started to think about what to do with this new development. However, my brain processes an answer when I put two and two together.

A youngling, no, a _force wielder_ youngling who was easier to manipulate than a fully grown adult had just proven that she could take on Starkiller at such an early age. It was before her teenage years when force sensitives started to become more powerful and yet here was someone who was completely different. A dark smile tugs my lips as I fold my hands in front of me.

Yes. This youngling would be a much better apprentice than Starkiller but needs to be separated from the Jedi before they can corrupt such a priceless discovery. I activate my personal communications device in my desk and the image of my assistant appears.

_"What can I do for you today, your excellency?" _

"Inform Lord Tyrannus that there has been a change of plans. We are moving our plan forward. Order Sixty-Six will be activated in two days hence."


	30. Crystal Cave, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Crystal Cave, Ahsoka Tano**_

I am having a very interesting day today. After yesterday's attack from Starkiller there has not been one moment where Anakin has not been in the same room as me. We went back and he drank his slush puppie like the lucky person he is whilst I had to eat shurra fruit because what he said actually was true. For someone with orange skin, I was really pale. What annoyed me was that right after we had finished Master Plo came in and said that I had to go to sleep right away because tomorrow I was going to Ilum to retrieve my lightsaber crystal. That wasn't the annoying part. Get this, my _entire clan _is going to get them when I was the one who won the competition. Apparently, the competition was just something to promote sportsmanship between us. How is nearly dieing promoting sportsmanship?

Let me just say that Anakin is absolutely brilliant at providing anger management. It's none of that releasing your emotions to the force stuff because according to him they just come right back to you if you aren't careful. I have spent my entire morning ever since I woke up punching Anakin as hard as I possibly can. He has padded hands and such but it still gives me the same amount of relief as when I hit him for real. Although, I'll admit that it was really awkward when Master Plo came in to collect me and saw me slug Anakin right in the face. It took a long while to explain to him that it was just anger management because I was frustrated about the uselessness of the competition. I had a real hard time explaining it on my own since Anakin was out cold for the whole thing and let me tell you now he was not happy about being left on the floor.

Even worse than that, if anything could get any worse, is the fact that when I got my lightsaber parts together in my pocket and left with Master Plo to the ship I found out that I was sitting next to _Pedro_. Yes, _Pedro_. True, there is a small space between us but I thought that when they saw what happened yesterday they would at least have the common sense _not_ to put me beside an idiot. I guess things really couldn't get worse today for me in my little youngling world. There's always the chance that Starkiller might show up but Anakin said he was still recovering from being beaten and that is good enough for me.

I avoid all of the weird looks that my clan mates are giving me and focus on glaring right back at Slimo. Honestly, I do not know how he is still here but I do know that if every one of the people who are supposed to be my friends no matter what keep looking at me like I'm an outcast I'm going to lose my temper in record time. The only person who isn't looking at me like I'm the newest thing in town and doesn't know what to make of me is Barris. I can always count on Barris not to do anything too rash against me when things seem to not be in my favour. Why can't anyone just let things go around here? It's not like I'm a threat. The only one with enough power to blow up the temple with a single thought would be Anakin but I'm smart enough not to tell anyone.

"Hey, is it true that you can do the things that force wielder can?" My clan mate, Liam, who has recently recovered from being attacked whispers to me.

"No. It's not." I whisper back and resume ignoring everyone and everything around me.

For the love of the force, aren't Jedi younglings supposed to be sophisticated instead of nosy and persistent? I wait for a really long time in my seat for us to arrive on Ilum. My clanmates come and go as they please for bathroom breaks, rests, food and so on. We are being taken to the planet by a Jedi padawan who has to do it as a sign of initiation so that he can become a Jedi knight. I can't help but wonder if one day I'm going to become a Jedi knight. Anakin said that he was going to take me back to his planet and that's in another galaxy. Well, I guess that once Starkiller is dealt with then I can come back and continue on with my life as normal. It's not that I wouldn't like to have met Anakin but I do want to be a Jedi knight. It's my life long dream.

I manage not to move for hours and remain in my seat right up until we land. I'm not sure how I did it and all I know is that I did. When we land I keep my focus souly on getting my crystal and getting out. The blizzards are cold and harsh which makes the warm coats that we are wearing seem much more useful than they do sitting in the closet. It's still freezing cold and I cannot help but wonder why I am going through all of this when there's a perfectly good force wielder sitting in the temple who can get one for me. Is it because the crystal can only be retrieved by it's rightful owner? I have no idea. The caves of Ilum used to hold hundreds of crystals in one place from what I've been told. Now there are only blue and greens ones with the occasional other colours scattered around. It's a shame really.

We come to a stop in front of a cliff face and I completely zone out for the next five minutes. I don't even know why I was suddenly thinking about sleeping for that amount of time. There isn't a chance of me being tired since I went to sleep early and woke up at a time later than six o'clock. I believe it was around eight if I remember correctly. When I come back to reality the huge cliff face in front of us has opened up to reveal an entrance to what I am guessing is the cave where all of the crystals are held. The padawan leads us in and I can tell by the way that he doesn't look at any of us or try to assure us that things are okay that he does not want to be here. I keep my gaze on the floor because I'm starting to feel really faint. What's wrong with me?

Master Yoda is sat on a make shift seat that looks like a random piece of rock that is connected to another piece and so on until it reaches the wall. A large sheet of ice is covering what I am guessing is the cave where all the crystals are held along a large wall. I don't see the point of this since surely you could just blast your way in with a thermal detonator or something similar. Well, I've never had a Jedi right of passage that hasn't seemed strange to me in some way before. These things are designed to be harder than anything else we can experience in life but I say that it's all rubbish. Facing battalions of droids from a separatist army far outweighs the difficulty of finding a crystal in a cave that points you in the right direction.

"Younglings," Master Yoda greets. "Welcome to the crystal cave."

Okay, first impressions. I'm not seeing so much crystal in this cave so I am going to take a wild guess and say that the crystals are behind that huge ice barrier on the wall. There's obviously something on the other side of that thing. I don't really get to see a lot of the place since it appears that I have just become the 'outcast' of my clan. It used to be this kid called Lee who couldn't eat sugar and completely lost it when he did but apparently the honour has now fallen to me. To be honest, I'm not seeing what's so bad about being an outcast in my clan. I don't have to get stuck between Paranoid Pedro and his goony friend or answer stupid questions about what type of lightsabers there are.

"To collect your crystals face trials you must. The force, guide you it will to your one true crystal." Master Yoda begins to explain and I don't even try to understand. First thing I pick up: the force guides us to our crystals full stop. "As the sun rises upon Ilum, melt away the ice wall it will. Go in, you must, and get out before the wall freezes once more or trapped inside you will be."

Oh, well, that's worth the price isn't it? Go into a cave that will challenge us and try to kill us, from what I heard the padawans saying, and get out with our crystals before the wall freezes over and traps us inside. I don't understand how that works but I do know that this seems pretty much pointless now. There are a lot of useless challenges that Jedi initiates have to go through that are probably considered to be good for us. Jedi have to be ready for anything but I'll bet that no-one thought that they would have to defend themselves against immortal beings that can do anything. Well, they probably would have known this would happen if they remembered exactly what they did to them. Attacking a peaceful race... that isn't exactly a part of the Jedi code.

A ray of sunlight streams in through an opening in this... I'm going to refer to it as an 'entrance cave' from now on... and hits the ice wall dead on. It takes a short while but the ice wall melts away and, strangely, upwards. I am a little confused since the padawans talk about using the force to open the wall for a certain amount of time but if this is the quicker way then I'm not about to complain. So, what do you do when there is a gigantic ice wall that will freeze over if you don't get out in time and there is something you really need on the other side? The logical thing to do would be to send someone else in to get it for you or not get it at all. Then again, since when have I ever been logical?

"Younglings, remember you must to follow the forces guidance." Master Yoda reminds us. "Now, go you will and seek that which is yours."

What a happy way to send us off. No 'good luck' or 'try your best' like any caring Jedi master would say but I suppose that when you surpass the nine hundred year mark things start to get a little hazy in the brain. That reminds me, I wonder how Anakin is so powerful if he is only twenty years old. The force wielders are immortal so shouldn't there be some people who are over a thousand years old and so on. Maybe there's someone who's a million years old... wow. _That_ would be the most awesome thing in the world. They'd have lived through the sith wars and the old republic and the moments that defined the entire Jedi order. A history book if there ever was one.

"May the force be with you."

On that, I'm not going to say happy note, we walk forwards and up the steps. I'm at the back since, as I explained earlier, I am not the outcast of the clan and the outcast always walks at the back or way ahead in the front where no-one can talk to them. It's a lifestyle that could use a lot of improvement but, hey, what are you gonna do? One by one was pass under the ice barrier and enter this new cave. Everything is dark with just a bit of light for us to see and lots of winding pathways for us to choose from. The force is stronger here than it is on Coruscant which is most likely why the lightsaber crystals were formed here instead of on more populated planets. It's always unfair that the most important things are found from places really far away.

"So, which way are we gonna go?" Katooni asks once we get far enough into the cave so that we are not near the entrance any more.

"We just do what Master Yoda said. Trust in the force and let it guide us." Byph suggests.

I start to sense through the force the location of my crystal when I come across something else. Anakin's force presence. Oh, I swear, if he is anywhere near here I am going to kill him and bury him in the flower beds at the room of a thousand fountains. Looking more closely, I find that his presence isn't actually on this planet but that he is trying to contact me. I have a lot of experience with speaking to others through the force because of the amount of different species in the temple who can only communicate that way. Letting down my mental shields slightly, I listen to what he wants to say.

"_Follow the path on the left." _

Without bothering to say anything to my clan mates, I turn and head right for the opening on the left hand side which must lead somewhere closer to my crystal. I stop when I hear the annoying voice of Pedro.

"Where are you going?" He asks with a guarded look.

I turn around to face him and my clan. "Naboo." I say sarcastically. "Where do you think I'm going?"

"Oh? Let me guess, your force wielder buddy told you to go that way." Pedro says with a glare.

"Actually, he did." I reply. "Don't you have your own crystal to find?"

Turning back around, I continue walking through the opening and along the narrow pathway that looks like it could have been carved into the rock by something or someone. Maybe when the caves where first formed the miners who came here needed more than just that entrance to get to where they wanted to be? I don't know. I can't hear any more advise from Anakin so I guess when I get to the end of this pathway my direction will be pretty clear. There is a faint scuffling sound behind me but I really couldn't care less. The only thing behind me is the clan members who don't know what to make of me any more and the people who I once considered to be friends.

When I get out of the pathway I come into a large cavern. Sunlight is coming in through a visible beam that illuminates most of the cavern and leaves the rest in shadows. On the other side of the cave is a glowing, green crystal and I sigh in relief. Well, this certainly didn't take as long as I would have imagined it to. Looking behind me, I check to see whether or not there are people following me when the rock grows together and seals me in. Panicking, I rush up to the space where the opening used to be and check to see if there is any way for me to get back out. To my despair, I find that there isn't any and I have to use three force calming techniques to make sure I don't panic any more.

Taking a deep breath, I turn around to look at my lightsaber crystal again. I know that it is my crystal because of two reasons. One; the force is telling me that it is. Two; Anakin told me exactly where to go to find it. Sometimes I wonder if he has a permanent map of where things are in his head. All of those games and stuff that he summons when he can't have been carrying them all when he came back to this galaxy. I still haven't asked him about that. Oh well; anything to take my mind off the fact that I am trapped inside a cave with no-one to help me. I take a few careful steps forward towards my crystal to test if there are any traps set up but nothing happens.

Sighing, I start to walk forward without hesitation and then everything around me suddenly goes black. Now I really start to panic. Looking around frantically, I try to catch a glimpse of light or a cave wall or anything but still find nothing. Suddenly, I hear a voice behind me.

"Ahsoka," A woman says in a singsong voice and I whirl around on the spot to see a smoky image of a female Togruta with her arms outstretched. A moment later, a younger Togruta jumps into them. "Good girl. Are you learning how to use your force powers?"

The toddler makes a lot of noises but no real words. It's obviously positive since she has a smile on her face... a face which has really familiar markings. Wait, did that woman just call her Ahsoka?

"Cami!" A male Togruta shouts before he comes running into the image. "They found us. I'm sorry, we have to give her up if we want her to survive."

"But Ale, what if they figure out who she is before she can protect herself?" The woman, Cami, asks desperately.

I realise slowly that I am watching... my parents. The Jedi order never tell us about our parents unless we refuse to calm down without them and that's what I did. I was told that my mother allowed Master Plo to take me when I was three but that my father wasn't anywhere to be seen. I'd always assumed that he had just ditched us but I never realised that it was like _this_!

"I already made sure that no force wielders would be able to sense her. There aren't any in the next galaxy to find her so you have to go!" Ale says with a similar desperate look on his face.

"But they'll kill you when they find out that you sired a dimidium semino! It's forbidden!" Cami tries to reason with him.

"I know, that's why I won't tell them. No amount of torture will break me." He sighs after that and hugs Cami and younger me tightly. "I love you. Both of you. Now, go. Go!"

I stumble backwards as the smoky image disappears. What the hell is going on? The force just showed me my parents and them sending me away because force wielders were going to kill my father? What? I turn back around when a strange sound captures my attention and see yet another smoky image. This time my father is stood with chains around his hands and ten people stood on podiums around him. Since I am stood beside him, they are also standing around me too but they can't see me since this happened when I was just a baby. A baby who was learning to use the force on a planet with force wielders... I can only think of one place where that is possible. Being born on the planet that Anakin talks about just seems so impossible that I shake my head trying to get the thoughts out. It's just not possible!

"Ale Tano," The man with a deep voice standing on the tallest pedestal speaks. "You have been found guilty of wedding and bedding a non-force sensitive from another galaxy. Such actions are illegal and punishable by death in accordance with the law prohibiting the creation of a dimidium semino for the safety of our empire."

"Your empire will not live long," Ale snaps. "You are too cowardly to remain in power when the chosen one is brought here. He will destroy you and that name for such a wonderful gift will be lost forever."

"Dimidium semino is the appropriate name for a child born from a force wielder and a non-force sensitive." A woman says who is standing on a smaller podium. "They are dangerous and need to be exterminated to ensure the purity of our species. You will answer our question. Did you have a child with Cami Heryni?"

"No. I did not." My father lies and my eyes widen ever so slightly when I realise that everything I am seeing really did happen. I'm the dimidium semino that they're talking about... the one who they want to kill and yet Anakin wants to take me back to his home planet? That lying shaak!

"Then there is no need for you to remain alive. Sentence is execution. Immediately." The man on the tallest podium says and my eyes go wide when they use sith lightning to torture and eventually kill my father.

This realisation is too much for my brain to handle with everything that's going on and I walk backwards until I hit the hard rock wall. The images in front of me disappear at once and light floods back into the cavern. Breathing heavily, I slide down the wall until I am sitting against it with my knees brought up to my chest. My body is literally shaking and I feel so tired that I just want to go to sleep and forget all about what I've seen and realised. The force wielders had an empire that was stopped by the chosen one. But... the Jedi order would know if the chosen one was alive so that must mean that the empire still exists and that Anakin wants to take me back there so that I can be executed.

"_Ahsoka? Snips, can you hear me?" _Anakin's voice asks in my head.

Clutching my head tightly in my hands, I bury my face in my knees. "Go away." I say outloud. "I don't want to talk to you. You just want to kill me."

"_No, I promise I don't. Look, Ahsoka, I really didn't want you to find out this way but I am not the force. I'm the next best thing, I'll admit, but even I can't stop what it wants to do." _Anakin replies. _"That empire that you saw is gone, Ahsoka. The law that they made is gone now but I have to take you back to my planet because it isn't safe for you here."_

"How can the empire be gone?" I ask, trying to pull myself together but not lifting my head from my knees. "He said that only the chosen one would get rid of it.

I hear Anakin sigh through our connection. _"Ahsoka... I'm the one who got rid of the empire. I am the chosen one. The son of the force. Prince of the netherworld. Heir to the universe itself. I can't just go around telling people that because you know how your order will react. Please, just get your crystal and get out. It's been fifteen minutes... time runs differently in that cave and when you went off my radar I panicked so you really need to get out now."_

Inhaling a shaky breath, I push myself up into a standing position and look directly ahead to see my lightsaber crystal sat neatly on top of a rock. The rock is smooth and looks like it could be used as a seat without a back but it is probably meant to look like that so that people can see the crystal easily. I walk forwards slowly this time because I really do not want to see any more of those flashbacks or revelations. Nothing happens but I don't speed up. When I finally do reach the crystal I have taken enough time to calm down and realise that Anakin doesn't want to kill me or do anything to hurt me. So, the force showed me the truth but Anakin cleared up any issues that I had so far. It's just like a father son team... oh no, I never thought I'd refer to Anakin and the force as _that_.

Carefully, I reach out and pick up my lightsaber crystal from its spot and sigh in relief when nothing else happens. A rumbling sound behind me makes my breathing stop again and I turn my head to search for danger only to see that the place where the rocks sealed together is opening up again so that I can go back through. It takes me half a second to make my decision and I sprint through the pathway as fast as I possibly can before it decides to close again or something worse. When I get out of the passage I see that the ice wall is three quarters of the way closed and that most of my clan mates are already out there. Well, all except for one. Katooni isn't out there and I can tell by the way that Pedro is masking his guilt behind his face that he knows where she is but has left her in here.

I turn away from the ice barrier and run in the direction that the force guides me to as I try to find her. She definitely wasn't out there and I can only imagine how much trouble she must be in if a skilled youngling like her can't find her crystal and get out again. I run through a long pathway but don't make it to the end because of one small problem.

"Ahsoka! Help!"

Skidding to a halt, I turn around and search around me for Katooni and find her trapped in the wall with ice sealing her in.

"Oh force... Katooni, are you okay?" I ask, walking closer and checking around for a way to get her out.

"I'm fine. I got trapped in here but Pedro wouldn't help me because he needed to find his own crystal." Katooni says unhappily. "I found my own but the ice wall closes soon and then we'll get trapped in here. Just go, Ahsoka. Save yourself."

I put on a cocky smirk just like Anakin does to assure her that I have a plan even though I don't. "Look, Katooni, I couldn't get hurt in here if I wanted to. The only person in danger right now is you."

"What do you mean?" Katooni asks, confused.

"Let's just say that being friends with a force wielder has its perks," I reply cryptically as I find a small opening that I could use to break the ice barrier. "Okay, sit tight. I think I can get you out."

I place my hands in the opening and start to pull. The ice barrier sealing Katooni inside starts to crack and break until it then tries to freeze over my hands and trap me inside. Once again I find myself thanking the force for the fact that I have a protection field. The blue shield that appeared when Starkiller attacked me appears again around my hands and then promptly sets itself on fire and melts the ice barrier in a large flash like that of a flame thrower. I yelp in surprise whilst Katooni lets out something between a shriek and a scream. The smoke clears and I can see that, thankfully, neither of us is harmed although Katooni does look a lot more scared than she did before.

"What... the force... was that?" She asks in between breaths.

"Protection field," I answer.

"What?"

"Don't ask," I reach out and pull her out of the hole in the wall by the hand. "Let's go! We can't have more than a minute before the wall freezes over!"

We run as fast as our legs can carry us through the many openings, pathways, twists and turns that I had to go through just to get to her until we finally reach the ice wall. I stop on the spot when I see that we reach it just as it freezes over. We are too late and now we're trapped inside. I really need to kill Pedro for this. He should have been helping Katooni instead of just going after his own crystal first then none of this would be happening. Then again, if he had gotten his hands frozen to the ice barrier that held Katooni captive then I would have had to save them both and then he would have called me a name or some other bad thing.

"Damn it! We were too late." Katooni curses. "Now we're trapped in here."

I sigh in defeat. "I guess we could just wait a day for the sun to come back around and melt the wall again."

"But how do we know that they'll be waiting for us?" Katooni questions. "The rules are very clear. When you don't get out of the cave you are left behind. That's why the Jedi training from here on out is so hard."

"Okay..." I say slowly. "There's got to be another way out of here. I mean, if people got left behind then why aren't there any skeletons of other Jedi that failed? Not everyone got out. It says so in the archives. That means there must be another way out."

"How are we going to find it? This place is huge." Katooni complains before looking over her shoulder and going completely still. "Um... Ahsoka?"

"Yes?" I ask, looking at the ice wall for a way out.

"You know how you said there were no skeletons here..." She trails off and I turn around and freeze.

Standing there, feathers and all, is a strange creature with four legs, a mane and wings. Yes, _wings_. I have no idea what it is but judging from the way it is leaning down slightly with its head pointed towards us I can imagine that it's going to charge.

"Look out!" I shout when it rams the wall beside us and I pull Katooni out of the way.

"What is that thing?" She asks curiously when it jumps backwards and then launches itself at us once more.

You see, this is the good thing about when things happen quickly. The pain is at its peak the moment the injury happens but after that you can pretty much clench your fists and hope for the best. The animal, or beast as I will now refer to it, actually hit us this time and sent us right through the ice wall. I mean, I know that we should have been paying attention but that was just about the most painful thing that has happened to me this week. We both land flat on our backs and startle the rest of our clan who were on their way out with sad looks on their faces, excluding Pedro the Pompous Prat. The ice wall seals itself up so that everyone gets to see the beast that threw us out of the cave for a few good seconds before the wall is sealed completely and we are all left in silence.

With a relieved sigh, I turn my head to Katooni. "That could have been worse." I reason with a slight shrug of my shoulders and grin.

"How could it have been worse exactly?" Katooni asks with a frown.

Someone clears their throat behind us and we turn around to see Master Yoda standing there looking at us with a stern face. I look back at Katooni.

"That's how it could have been worse."


	31. The Problem, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**The Problem, Ahsoka Tano**_

You know, I've really got to hand it to Master Yoda. Even when me and Katooni did absolutely nothing wrong other than get thrown through a wall made of ice by an unknown animal he still managed to find a way to punish us. It was all 'you should have made it out in time' and a bunch of other 'reasons' for him to punish us. On the bright side, I have a good reason to thank Katooni. She told Master Yoda that Pedro had left her to die in the cave and he was pretty much doomed after that. He couldn't lie because Master Yoda sensed it in a heartbeat and then when he tried to stain our reputations for being late it was all over. So, that's how me and Katooni ended up cleaning the Jedi starfighters in the hanger for the Jedi council yesterday afternoon.

Another good thing that happened was that when I got back to Anakin's room since my own is still off limits to everyone, including me, it was past ten and he sent me to bed straight away. It was kind of awkward to be around him now that I know who he is. Every youngling knows the legend of the chosen one, meaning that every Jedi does too, and I can quite honestly say that he is not what I imagined. Well, aside from the all powerful bit. You see, I imagined the chosen one would be like Master Yoda except more... tall. Calm, sophisticated and wise beyond his years. I did not expect him to be an arrogant, cocky, impatient and hot-headed force wielder who prefers to spend his time beating Master Kenobi at board games than focusing on destroying the sith. Speaking of which, how is he supposed to do that in another galaxy?

As you can probably tell, when I woke up this morning I was not tired enough to completely forget the whole 'dimidium semino' situation like I did last night. I was so out of it that the moment my head hit the pillow my world went blank. Pretty handy in certain situations but not in this one. Though, there may be an upside to this. Katooni has to be pretty worn out too so she might have forgotten all about the protection field that I very briefly explained (which is to say, I didn't explain at all). So, today as I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling thinking of the many ways to first approach the subject of me being a dimidium semino and then to go after Pedro the Pompous Prat with something that he will never, ever forget.

I keep wondering why Anakin could tell Master Kenobi, Master Plo, Master Windu and Master Yoda about this but not me. I mean, he doesn't even like any of the Jedi masters other than Master Kenobi who used to be his master. You'd think that when people lock you inside of a room just because you're different that telling them something and not telling the person who accidentally left said room unlocked after running in would be one of the things you never do. I was rather surprised when Master Plo started giving me a lecture on dangerous beings and all because I didn't re-lock the door to Anakin's room after I went in the first time. That's how he kept letting people in although I have no idea why he didn't just walk out. Probably something to do with keeping neutral and all that.

Yawning into my fist, I throw back the covers and stand up. My neck cracks a little as I do so since it is really stiff today. Speaking of which, I keep repeatedly thanking the force that I still _have_ a neck today. After that animal, which no-one has identified as far as I know, appeared in the cave I was certain that me and Katooni were dead. The protection spell helped me since I went through solid stone but I'm guessing that Katooni didn't need it since she went through the ice wall instead and that was much better than me. Although, I suppose I did sort of go through it too but most of me went through solid stone so I definitely had more of a pained experience than she did.

When I hear someone cursing vehemently in the next room I from and quickly depart the room that I am staying in without making the bed. Personally, I don't see the point in it. It's just going to get messy again so it's really just a big waste of time. I walk into the lounge to find Anakin sat on the couch watching what appears to be a pod-racing show on the HoloNet. From the looks of things, his favourite racer is losing or someone has made a wrong move that he just had to comment on. Anyway, I've learned to just ignore him when he gets like this but I doubt that Master Kenobi ever got the message. I say that because Master Kenobi happens to be sat on the other couch with his arms crossed over his chest scolding Anakin for his swearing right now.

"Honestly, Anakin, what if Ahsoka wakes up and hears you?" He asks with a disapproving stare.

"Oh, if that's your problem then you can put your merry mind at ease, Obi-Wan. Ahsoka woke up two minutes ago. See? She's standing in the doorway right now." Anakin says without taking his eyes off the HoloScreen.

Master Kenobi turns around in his seat and I can see his face clearly. He has a few bacta stick-on bandages on his face and even more on the rest of his body. I'm guessing that things didn't go too well on Serreno even though Starkiller was here instead.

"Good morning, Ahsoka." He says to me in a tone that he used to use when I was a youngling. It had to have been a few hours after one of his missions and I quite literally bumped into him whilst trying to run around as fast as a three year old can. Rather embarrassing actually.

"Good morning, Master Kenobi." I reply.

"You didn't hear what Anakin just said, did you?"

I shake my head once. There's this agreement that me and Anakin have where if he does something for me I do something for him. Since he helped me build my lightsaber I have to lie and say that I didn't hear him swear like a drunk man on bonfire night. Coruscant bonfire nights are the best because it's in celebration of the destruction of the old sith empire and the only thing that Jedi younglings have to do is go out and party until the masters figure out you're gone. My record is six and a half hours so far but Master Plo always manages to find me. I swear the man has a tracking device on me or something because I know for a fact that he cannot find his way through the underworld at eleven o'clock at night.

"See? I told you nothing bad would come of my swearing." Anakin says triumphantly, taking his eyes off the screen for a split second before returning to the thing that has his full undivided attention once more.

Master Kenobi rolls his eyes. "That is beside the point, Anakin. The point is that she _could have_ heard you."

"Oh relax, Obi-Wan. Do you know how many swear words these younglings know? It's got to be in the millions. I swear, there was a seven year old here who called someone who 'accidentally' bumped him a krif-"

"Anakin! Go back to your pod-racing show." Master Kenobi cuts in before any more can be said.

With a disconcerted shrug, Anakin stops keeping one ear open for Master Kenobi's comments and, as far as I can tell, puts even more focus onto the pod-racing show. He winces or grimaces every time someone goes an inch out of line but seems rather happy when they crash and burn for it. Sometimes I just don't understand these shows.

"So, Ahsoka, I heard from Master Yoda that you got your lightsaber crystal at last." Master Kenobi says, turning back around to face me. "He also said that you and another youngling by the name of Katooni got stuck inside of the cave before being thrown through a wall by some unknown creature."

I nod. "We did. He made us clean the ships in the hanger as a punishment, though."

"Punishment?" Anakin snorts. "How does the green troll come up with punishments for everything?"

"Anakin! Back to your show." Master Kenobi orders sternly and once again Anakin goes back to watching pod-racing. "Anyway, what made you two slow down enough to get trapped inside of the cave?"

"Another youngling left Katooni when she got stuck so that he could get his own crystal and I went to help her instead. But it took too long and we got stuck then we got thrown through a wall and Master Yoda punished us both."

"Are you sure you didn't do anything else?"

"Well, Katooni didn't but... I might have started yelling at Pedro for leaving her behind and called him a bunch of names."

"Ha! Told you, Obi-Wan. Younglings above the age of six all know swear words." Anakin says in triumph. I honestly do not know how the guy can keep listening to our conversation when he looks to be so interested in pod-racing.

Master Kenobi rolls his eyes at that. "Why don't you go and make Ahsoka some breakfast? Actually, make some for all of us while you're at it. You owe me after misguiding me to Serreno and I haven't eaten since I got back."

"But the show -"

"Isn't there a pause button somewhere?"

Anakin sighs in exasperation and waves his hand at the screen, making it pause immediately. Whilst grumbling something about 'never getting a break', he stands up from the couch and walks into the kitchenette. I walk over to the couch and take his seat since it is still quite cold in the mornings and his seat is already warmed up for me. It's like having an electrically heated seat except without the fuss of setting the whole thing up. Oh, the joys of a free way to bypass problems.

"Now, Ahsoka, we need to talk about something." Master Kenobi says, suddenly becoming serious. "Anakin told me that the force revealed to you what we have been trying to keep a secret."

I tense up slightly and my expression becomes guarded. So, Anakin had the decency to tell someone else about my finding out but not to explain things to me. What a role model.

"You mean that I'm a dimidium semino and half force wielder?" I ask. "Yes. It did."

Master Kenobi nods once, slowly. "Yes. Well, Anakin isn't the best person at explaining things as I'm sure you already know so we thought it best if I explained things to you. According to what Anakin has told me, you were born in a time just before he arrived on the planet and put an end to the empire that was hell bent on destroying any inter-race unity. That is something that this galaxy is perfectly fine with. Do you understand why you couldn't stay there?"

I nod. "Because I would have been killed."

"Correct. However, there does appear to be a side effect of having a child who is half force wielder. Anakin wants to get you back to his planet as quickly as possible because if you aren't there by the time you turn eleven and three quarters there won't be anyone to give you the help to stop you from dieing."

"_Dieing!_"

"Yes, dieing. I don't half understand it myself since it was Anakin who explained things to me but all I know for certain is that there is a certain injection that all force wielders get yet they don't need it. You do need it because the two different sides of you will end up fighting against one another for dominance and this could destroy the world around you but will definitely kill you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes." I say in a quiet voice, my mind instantly counting the days until I turn eleven and three quarters.

"So, to put it bluntly, you will have to be taken back to his planet within the next three months or you will die."

"But aren't the council going to let me go?" I ask with a frown.

"Nothing has been decided since it is rather difficult to believe but I have seen Anakin do some rather unbelievable things so this was easy for me. I am trying to get the decision pushed through quicker and so is Master Plo. It all depends on whether or not some of the more paranoid Jedi masters are about to let a powerful force wielder like Anakin leave unescorted."

"Why bother? He could get rid of them by blinking." I point out.

"It seems that they simply do not want to believe that someone like him could exist." Master Kenobi says glumly.

I sigh and lean back on the couch as I try to calm myself down a little. First, I had to worry about keeping my visits to Anakin a secret. Then, I had that stressful time in the competition and those strange things that kept happening around me. So, to top it all off, I'm not who I thought I was all these years and I'm going to die if I don't get to the planet where I was born before I become eleven and three quarters. This has been the most stressful time of my life and I owe it all to meeting Anakin. Well, I guess that's what happens when you go against everything that your piers tell you and visit a complete stranger out of sheer curiosity.

"I'm done!" Anakin shouts, walking out of the kitchenette with three plates balanced in his arms. "Oi! Get out of my seat!"

Master Kenobi gives him an exasperated look whilst I sink even further into the cushions of the sofa. "Anakin, you remember that... _interesting_ piece of information you told us a couple of days ago about a dimidium semino?"

Anakin eyes widen before a knowing look crosses over his face. "Oh..." He says in understanding. "Well, in that case, I guess you get the biggest breakfast Snips."

I don't reply or make a sound. I just sink back as far as I can into the cushions of the sofa and try to figure out a way to process all of this in my head. A big breakfast isn't exactly going to help me with that but it's a free galaxy... mostly. Anakin sets the three breakfast plates down on the coffee table before arranging himself on the couch, waving his hand at the HoloScreen and starting to eat. I'm not exactly offended by this since he can sense whether or not I'm in any real sadness and right now I am just confused. He never bothers when there is only confusion and nothing else which is okay when you can sense if any other emotions are starting to get involved the second they start to form but it isn't exactly that good for me.

The pod-racing shows have never appealed to me so it's basically the case of Anakin watching it in complete entrancement, Master Kenobi watching me with a concerned look on his face as he eats and me sat there staring into space with a blank expression. My breakfast is sat untouched on the coffee table and I reach out to pick it up just in case Anakin or Master Kenobi start grilling me on it. I don't need a reminder about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day because I am telling you now, younglings and breakfast is like carnivores and meat. You eat it whether you are awake or half asleep. It's just one of those things that happens. The first time it happened to me I thought somebody had stolen it since I could not remember a thing.

"Yes! No! Oh for the love of the krif-"

"Anakin!"

"What?" Anakin asks innocently as though he has not just shouted at the screen for another pod-racer going an inch out of line. "They're the ones who are causing problems. Maybe if they weren't so terrible at this I might not shout at them."

"Why don't you change the channel? That way I don't have to keep shouting at you and there can be something on that we all enjoy." Master Kenobi suggests helpfully.

Anakin sighs. "Fine," He grumbles. "We can watch a HoloVid about people who live by a certain code. Don't look at me like that, old man, it's not the Jedi code. I'll never stoop low enough to go by _that_... no love because it turns you to the dark side, what a load of rubbish."

Waving his hand at the screen once more, the channel changes to a film that I haven't seen before. It's set before the time of speeders, lightsabers and blasters so it must have cost about ten credits to make. These sorts of films may seem really pathetic to some people since it was millions of years ago but I still find it rather interesting. You don't see many of these sorts of things as a youngling and the only reason I know about it is because of the archives. I swear, if I had a pillow, a blanket and a portable 'fresher I could _live_ in there for twenty years and no-one would find me. Of course, I'd have to steal food from the kitchens to stay alive but that's beside the point. Stealing food is also a ritual that all younglings go through.

"Eat your breakfast, Snips." Anakin says whilst scratching his arm with a pained grimace. "I can't handle all of the worry right now. It's hard enough to keep this power thing in control anyway."

Oh, right. I wonder why he hasn't told Master Kenobi about that yet? Well, the Jedi master is in the room so I guess he'll pick up on it sooner or later. Considering the fact that he's frowning right now, I'll take a wild guess and say that he's already picked up on this little detail that Anakin forgot to mention.

"What power thing?" Master Kenobi asks in confusion.

Anakin shrugs his shoulders. "The power in this galaxy is unbalanced and it's driving me insane. Especially when Starkiller is backing the dark side." He says calmly and starts to shovel food into his mouth.

Master Kenobi nods and goes back to his own food and watching the HoloVid. I cannot believe that Anakin was able to lie to him so easily. I've been trying to get off that easily for years and it's never worked for me! There must be a reason for why everyone can lie and I can't. I mean, I have orange skin so when I blush it reaches my headtails and not my cheeks so anyone can tell when I'm lying. I'm always forced to tilt my head so that they're focusing on something other than my headtails or they'll catch me out and I'll have to clean the bathrooms again. Just the thought of it makes me want to gag in disgust. I'm trying to eat breakfast here!

Breakfast from Anakin isn't as good as when Master Kenobi makes it. I might have mentioned that before but there you have it. I've also realised that when people make you breakfast it is usually the same type of thing. Either it's plain old cereal which tastes stale or the rather tasty kind which you could eat for any meal of the day. The things that I don't mind are toast with butter and jam, eggs of any kind so long as they've been cooked in some way, fried bacon since my Togruta heritage demands meat because I am a carnivore and eggy bread which is the one thing that Anakin makes. Master Kenobi never makes it but I don't really mind. No-one can make it like Anakin. So, here's my dream meal. Anakin's eggy bread and Master Kenobi makes the rest of the meal randomly. Very nice.

The HoloVid isn't half bad if I'm honest. The main story line is about the seventh son of the seventh son fulfilling his destiny of ridding the world of evil and I can't help but see the irony of it all. Our prophecy of the chosen one is much better than this. The force just gives us the chosen one right off the bat instead of forcing us to wait fourteen generations for the person to be born. Well, I suppose waiting fourteen years and accepting this person easily is much better than meeting the person who has the power to destroy the sith and then imprisoning them because you think they're dangerous. Let's get this straight. Someone who is destined to destroy the sith is _not_ going to destroy the Jedi too. Besides, if that does happen then the force really will be balanced. No-one on the dark and no-one on the light.

"Pfft. What rubbish," Anakin comments halfway through. "The prophecy of the seventh son of a seventh son is fiction and even then it was taken from an age old village in another galaxy. People are always adopting prophecies from one another."

"What do you mean?" I ask, curious.

"Well, for starters, the prophecy of the chosen one originated from the force wielders and was then picked up by the Jedi order from a vision of the force. That was caused by a drunk force guardian after the celebration party. After that, the sith picked up on the legend and all got scared for a long while until this generation where they think that if they ever find the chosen one they can sway him to their side through manipulation. Prophecies and legends always go down through the ages. It's so common it's sickening." Anakin explains.

"What about the other legends and prophecies? They can't all go down through the ages, can they?"

"Take the 'legend' of demi-gods for example. It is a proven fact that the first star-ship to appear in this galaxy was called the Zeus and all of your ancestors in this galaxy thought it to be some kind of god. Rubbish. I told you that Hercules was the son of Zeus because it was the starfighter that came out of the hanger first. Rather unbelievable if you ask me but it's the truth. Honestly, the rubbish some people come up with."

"So there really are no such things as demi-gods?" I question.

"The closest thing to a demi-god in this galaxy is me. Now, let me tell you Snips, _that_ is more of a privilege than anything in existence."


	32. Order Sixty-Six, Anakin Skywalker

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Order Sixty-Six, Anakin Skywalker**_

I wake up the moment I sense a disturbance in the force. Something dark is coming. Something very, very bad is about to happen. Suddenly, I feel like I've been awake for hours already even though when I went to sleep I was completely shattered. Ahsoka had been really depressed when she found out about the whole 'you are going to die' thing which isn't really a problem for anyone else back on my planet since they all had their jabs when they were babies. I got mine when I was almost ten because that's when I first arrived on the planet. Anyway, the force is acting like a jack hammer in my head right now telling me that I need to get away or protect myself. To be honest, I only care about keeping Ahsoka and Obi-Wan safe. That's it.

I'm out of bed in a heartbeat and with a click of my fingers I am fully dressed in the clothes that I have back at my home. I really am getting tired of these shoddy clothes that the stupid Jedi give me. What a bunch of cheapskates. Sprinting out the door, I skid around the corner and use the force to warp open the door to where Ahsoka sleeps. She is awake in seconds and gives me the typical 'what the hell, man?' look that I've grown used to. I used to give it to anyone who would wake me up and that is something that you do not do to Anakin Skywalker without getting frozen solid. I've had it done to me before and it was far from adequate.

"Anakin, do you have any idea what time -?"

"Get up. Now." I cut across her swiftly with a deadly serious look on my face.

"What's going -?"

"Up. Snips." I repeat more firmly, clicking my fingers so that she is dressed in her day clothes too. Pulling her to her feet, I usher us both out of the room and out of my 'quarters'.

"Anakin! What's happening? Where are we going?" Ahsoka asks as I am marching her down the corridor.

"Don't you sense that?" I question, seriously doubting the Jedi's teaching abilities once again. "Something very bad is about to happen here. We have to go, get Obi-Wan and get out. Now."

Ahsoka frowns and I can feel her mind catching up with the situation. It becomes obvious when she finds out as she doesn't need me making her walk anymore. Not that I really care anyway. I grab her and pull her after me as I run towards the area where I can sense Obi-Wan is sleeping. The old man won't be asleep for long once I get to him. I still cannot believe how utterly powerless these Jedi morons are. Would it kill them to realise that the force doesn't give a damn about them? No. It might lower their self esteem a bit but other than that they should be fine. They're not going to be fine for long, though, unless they all get up from their beds and realise that something is coming this way. It seems like a force sensitive to me and I'd hazard a guess that it's a sith but I don't see why the force had to warn me against that. There must be another explanation.

We round the corner, with me still pulling Ahsoka along, and I manage to break the door as I use the force to open it. Just goes to show that I don't know my own strength sometimes. The room is dark which means that Obi-Wan went to sleep already, not that I don't already know that, but I'm pretty sure my presence alone will be enough to wake him. As I open the door to his room with the force, I see his getting out of bed with a frown on his face. When he looks up and sees me the frown deepens and his eyes flicker between me and Ahsoka for a moment before _his_ force sensitivity kicks in. The realisation that filters across his face has to be the best thing I've seen since I sensed the darkness coming this way.

"Oh, you sense that now, huh?" I ask rhetorically. "We have to go."

Obi-Wan stands up from his bed. "What? Anakin we have to warn everyone. What is that I'm sensing anyway?"

"If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say a sith lord with the cavalry backing him." I reply. "Now, if you insist on letting everyone know then we'd better get going. We've got ten minutes. Tops."

I have to give the old man credit for how fast he can move. He was out of his quarters almost as fast as I was out of my room when I sensed the danger the first time. We quickly follow him and I let go of Ahsoka just in case I break her wrist or hand if I sense the danger getting closer and my grip goes vice like. I could heal her faster than I could hurt her, true, but I'm a force wielder for the light and I don't like to hurt people who I don't need to. It's really easy not to hurt people if I know that I could beat the crap out of them any day of the week. Period.

Word travels fast when there's danger about, it seems, because after five minutes of me waiting with Ahsoka in the room that I can sense is the safest every Jedi is up and about. It's strange to think that if I had not woken them up they would have just continued to sleep and then this dark threat would have killed them all. Shame really. It wouldn't have bothered me half as much if Ahsoka had never showed up. That would have been one of the greatest mysteries of the Jedi order. What killed Ahsoka Tano? Knowing them they'd just pass it off as a heart attack and ignore what the force tells them. That's probably why the forces will was for Ahsoka to find me that day.

"Anakin," Ahsoka asks. "What do you think is coming besides a sith lord? What's the cavalry?"

I sigh. "It's Dooku, Snips. He couldn't have gotten here without help and there's an army with him. Somebody in the republic with enough influence to get him in is on the side of the separatists."

"But who?"

"The sith lord behind the war," I answer. "He must be someone in the senate. No-one else could have known enough to get Dooku on Coruscant. It just doesn't happen."

The sound of people moving around us speeds up and I hide a frown from my face with ease. It's plainly obvious to me that the threat has arrived and the sound of blaster fire just goes to show that the army Dooku brought with him is pretty much pathetic. Unless you have a real skill or lightsaber then you aren't going to be able to do much to anyone on your own. I then sense something peculiar. The people attacking the temple are... clones? The republic are supposed to be using clone troopers to fight the war against the separatists and here they are attacking the generals who lead them. Well, I'm guessing this has been a long time planned thing otherwise the clones would not be killing people so easily.

"We have to go now, Snips. Let's find Obi-Wan and get out of here before all hell breaks lose."

I gently grab Ahsoka's wrist and lead her through the safest path towards Obi-Wan. Unfortunately, the old man seems to have gone _towards_ the danger instead of away from it like any sane person would have done. Carefully, I manuever us so that I am in front of Ahsoka and in the direct way of anything or anyone that might seek to harm her. I'd hate to say this to anyone other than Obi-Wan, but I really care about her. Not in the way that I love my angel... she was the reason I came back along with my mother... I care about Ahsoka like a father cares about a daughter or a brother cares about a sister. It's mostly the former since the age difference is fairly obvious if you look at us. Nine years if you use basic counting and technically it's a bit more but still.

We turn the corner and I can already sense what the problem is before we get there. In the entrance hall, which is already quite badly damaged from when Starkiller came here, there are clone troopers from a battalion who are shooting at all the Jedi they can find. Dooku is shouting orders at them to go for the more inexperienced ones first so that when all the masters are left they can be executed like dogs. I'm not really sure that I like this guy any more than I did when he was a Jedi himself. We barely talked and when we did he seemed very tense around me. Probably pinning the blame on me for letting Qui-Gon die or something... git.

Back to the matter at hand, I am getting a _serious_ headache from all of this because the pain and destruction is just like a jack hammer that I have had enough of. Raising my hand, I call upon the power within me and shoot a ray of golden sparks around the room in one large burst. Everyone freezes aside from me and Ahsoka and I sigh in relief. Not only did that just stop me from getting a migraine but it also stopped the sharp pain in my side caused by the power overflow that I am feeling right now. Oh, that felt good to get rid of. I have excellent self control over myself when it comes to showing pain or emotions so it wasn't hard for me to hide it but that's not to say that it wasn't uncomfortable for me.

"Okay, everybody who does _not _want to be killed by the clone troopers go and meet up with the Jedi council in the hanger once I unfreeze you. Got it?" I ask the Jedi in the room and I can sense their confirmation through the force. "Good." I click my fingers and unfreeze _only_ the Jedi in the room because I'll be honest here. What idiot is going to unfreeze the enemy too? The Jedi can't stay here and imprison the clones whilst their frozen because one rogue battalion has obviously been corrupted by another. It's common knowledge that in these situations you run like the devil of Correlia himself is chasing after you with a pitchfork and black cape.

Though many are confused about what just happened, the Jedi are smart enough to do as I say and go to the Jedi council who are waiting in the hanger for evacuation. The younglings are already out, I believe, but a quarter of them were killed by clone troopers and the padawans and knights had half of their numbers slashed just from the fight in this area of the temple alone. The clones from Kamino really do get the best training in the galaxy when it comes to shooting. In my opinion, the Jedi really should have seen this coming. Troopers cloned from a bounty hunter who fought against them that were ordered by a Jedi master under the influence of the dark side and kept a secret for ten years. For the saviours of the republic, they really are very thick sometimes.

"This way, Snips. They'll be unfrozen in three hours and they can't hear us so we should get going." I say to Ahsoka who seems to be amazed by every little thing I do.

"What about the other people stuck in the temple?" Ahsoka questions as she follows me in the direction of the hanger.

"There's no-one left, Snips. They were either killed off by clones that came in through other entrances who I have also frozen, don't worry about them, or they were evacuated just like everyone else. When this is all over there will only be around half of the order left than there was before." I inform her. "People were injured and some are faced with trauma that might not clear up if they're not gotten to a medical station soon."

Ahsoka frowns. "So, can't the republic help us?"

"I don't think there's going to be a republic left to help the order in a few hours, Ahsoka." I say glumly.

"What do you mean? Are the clones turning against them too?"

"No. The clones were turned against the Jedi from someone very high up in the senate and there's only one person I can think of with enough influence to turn the 'loyal' clone troopers against their generals." I reply. "Let's just focus on getting out of here first. Okay? Wait, why are you limping?"

I stop in my tracks when I notice. You see, this is one of the side effects of a power overflow. I can't sense things as quickly as I should be able to and now it seems that I've missed something really important because of it. Ahsoka has the protection field so she shouldn't be limping at all... I really don't like this galaxy.

"I think I sprained it when we were running along," She admits sheepishly.

"That explains why the protection field didn't pick up on it. Spraining your ankle isn't considered a dangerous thing back on my planet since at your age you should know how to heal minor injuries such as that." I explain. "Just hold still and let me heal it."

It doesn't take more than five seconds for me to heal something that common on my planet and then we're up and running again. When we arrive in the hanger I cannot help but smirk. The Jedi always have a back up plan for invasion that can only be activated if the order know that something is going to happen and that plan involves a cruiser the size of one and a half republic ones. It could fit the whole order into it but since there are only half of them left there must be a bit more room left on board. The last few Jedi are boarding now and the council are waiting half outside and half inside the cruiser just in case there is a problem. Well, my arrival must have let them know that nothing bad is going to happen at all because they visibly relax a little and Obi-Wan gives me a look that clearly says 'thank the force he's here'. I must say I haven't felt this wanted by the Jedi in all my time here.

"Anakin, is everyone safe?" Obi-Wan asks.

I nod. "Everyone who survived is on board that cruiser and the clones are stuck right now. We have around three hours to clear the planet's atmosphere."

"Hang on, we think it might be a good idea if you, me and Master Yoda wait behind to see who is behind all of this." Obi-Wan says. "If the clone troopers attacked us then they might attack others in the republic."

"Alright, I can live with that." I say. "Ahsoka stays on board the ship, though."

Obi-Wan nods. "That's what we thought was best too." He agrees.

I'm fairly certain that Ahsoka knew this was coming but that didn't stop her from giving me a look that conveys the message of 'I wanna come too'. Luckily for me, Master Plo seems to know her pretty well as he made sure she got on board the cruiser before she could protest out loud. To them it might have been easy but I got loads of messages in my head through the force of some very colourful words that she threw at me silently and probably thought I wouldn't hear. I need to stop swearing around her before Obi-Wan gets on my back again about it again. Seriously, I don't need the old man yelling at me for teaching Ahsoka words that she'd already know by now if she hung around with the cool crowd.

"We'll meet up with the order on Polis Massa once we've figured out what is the cause of all this. An emergency senate meeting was just called by the chancellor and we have a feeling that the answer may lye there."

"Shall we go then old man?"

* * *

"... Henceforth, I declare that the republic shall be the first Galactic Empire!" The booming voice of the chancellor rang out throughout the senate hall and was followed by many cheers and shouts of approval.

I cannot help but shake my head in sadness at this. The dark side is revolving around the chancellor like a deathly plague and it grows stronger and stronger with each cheer that sounds for his cause. It does not escape my attention how some senators are not joining in with the cheering. They have fake looks plastered on their faces which convey messages to others that they have a slight disapproval of this. You can only see this if you look hard enough and I have been looking _very_ hard at the face of the woman I have no seen for eleven years. Yes. I still cannot believe that after all this time I can see my angel again. You know, I always thought that I would only ever see her in my dreams of when we met in Watto's junk shop but now I can say goodbye to them. Just goes to show that the force can be lenient in some situations.

"So this is how liberty dies," She had said to those around her. "To thunderous applause."

My force enhanced hearing picked up on that rather quickly and the two cloaked figures beside me don't seem to like the sound of the senate hall any better than I do. The applause continues even as senators begin to leave and my eyes dart across the hall to check for anything I may have missed but I find nothing. My force presence is well hidden and my emotions are so in check by now that even Master Yoda who is stood right next to me cannot sense a small flicker. Then again, he never has been able to but I still take pride in the fact that I have passed them in the emotions category which they challenged me about when I was nine years old.

I carefully inspect the senators who are not happy with the formation of the empire and see that they are mostly leaving towards the same area. A penthouse place called 500 republica, I read from one of their minds. That's where Padmé lives. I get all excited inside just from the thought of going to the place where she _lives_ and I know that Obi-Wan will give me a hard kick if he ever finds out about this. It will hurt more than the ones he's given me before, I'm sure, but it'll be worth it. Padmé is leaving with senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma so I know who is going to 500 republica. The problem is that I can sense danger in their way and it's not exactly a riddle to figure out the source. Palpatine has something to do with this.

"How about we follow _them_ home," I suggest, gesturing to the three senators that are just about to exit the senate hall.

"Why them?" Obi-Wan asks curiously.

"Because I can sense that they're about as happy with this empire thing as we are," I reply and that's good enough for the two Jedi masters standing beside me. We move from our hiding place, cloaks swishing as we walk, and go down the hallway. The senators are walking at a pace which no-one finds suspicious because they don't want to be caught out and I have to say I am impressed. The angel's not fourteen anymore, that's for sure.

I use the force to make sure that no-one will notice us unless we draw attention to ourselves and when we start to near the exit we catch up with them. I don't think I'll ever forget the look of surprise upon Padmé's face when I made us noticed to them and only them. They didn't stop, wisely, for Obi-Wan gave them one of his 'later' looks and they understood. The man has more of a reputation that I gave him credit for. I use the force so that the senators won't be noticed either as we leave the building and walk into the shadows of an alleyway. I take note of the senate guards around just in case something goes wrong and we need to run.

"General Kenobi, we did not know you were in the senate building." Senator Organa says once we get into the alley.

"That was thanks to Anakin." He gestures to me before continuing. "We are here because of what has happened to the republic. The Jedi temple was attacked and we need to figure out what is going on here."

"We know about as much as you do, general. The chancellor informed us all that the Jedi had betrayed the republic and were to be exterminated but we had no idea he had already gone through with his plan." Mon Mothma replies.

"Our numbers have been cut in half but there are still many of us left. We are evacuating to a place we have not been to for a long time but we don't know whether to trust you with that information or not."

"We are perfectly trustworthy, General Kenobi. We only seek to return democracy to the republic." Senator _Amidala _says and I feel like I might swoon from the sound of her voice. Dear force, I need to get a hold of myself.

Obi-Wan looks at me. "Anakin?"

"They're telling the truth." I reply calmly since I have been able to sense it all along. "But I really don't advise talking about it in an alleyway where anyone can overhear you."

"Can't you just use the force to make it so any passers by can't hear us?" He suggests.

I roll my eyes. "Suddenly everyone's an expert," I mumble before waving my hand and making a barely there blue shield appear that quickly fades into invisibility. "Go ahead."

Obi-Wan turns back to the senators who seem much more interested in me than they were before. "We are heading to our abandoned temple on Yavin 4. That way we don't have to start from scratch."

They nod. "And just who is this man?" Senator Organa asks, gesturing to me.

"This is Anakin Skywalker." Obi-Wan replies.

"The hero of Naboo who went missing eleven years ago?" Senator Organa asks with his eyebrows arched high.

Obi-Wan nods. "The very same, although he might be a little different than you remember."

"How did he prevent people from listening in on our conversation? I didn't think that Jedi could do that." Mon Mothma questions.

"He's not a Jedi. He's a force wielder."

"You mean like Starkiller?"

I wonder how they know about him if the chancellor himself didn't know. Oh well, it's not like they're not going to find out. This is a place where _that_ particular force wielder is going to have the time of his life.

"No. He's a force wielder for the light side, not the dark. In other words, he's on our side." Obi-Wan clarifies for them.

"How can you be certain?" Senator Organa asks whilst giving me a suspicious look. I really don't like him.

"Well, for one, he's been in the Jedi temple for the past three months." Obi-Wan gives as a reason before I can officially give my own reasons. The first of which being that I am not a dull minded senator. Before he can continue speaking, two senate guards walk up and try to come through the alleyway. I quickly raise my hand and wave it in front of their faces so that they change their direction.

"We should really talk about this somewhere else," I say.

"We can go back to my apartment. That was where we were headed before you came along." Padmé suggests.

"Good idea. Anakin, will you stop amusing yourself with those things."

I give him an innocent look and make the pod-racer that I made out of steam disappear into the air. "Sorry, you know how I get when there's nothing to do."


	33. Fleeing Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Fleeing Coruscant, Anakin Skywalker**_

I've got to admit, Padmé has a _really_ nice apartment. I knew that senators got places on Coruscant once they were elected but I didn't know that the ones higher up got homes _this_ nice. Truth be told, it looks like it was meant for lots of important meetings and social occasions and this would count as one of those. I got bored of waiting for the senators to understand what a force wielder is, even though Padmé seemed to understand just fine, and went to sit on the couch. I've been sat here amusing myself with a pod-racing show, which I remembered in my mind, that's floating in front of my eyes for the past ten minutes.

"So, force wielders are immortal beings that can do anything they please except for bringing people back from the dead?" Senator Organa asks.

Obi-Wan nods. "Yes." I can hear the relief going through the mans head. That took a _long_ time to explain considering the senators already knew about force wielders but not what they actually _were. _

"And _he_," Organa gestures to me. "Is one of the good ones?"

"Yes." Obi-Wan confirms for the ninth time this minute. "Do you understand now?"

"Somewhat."

I resist the urge to give an exasperated look and go back to the pod-racing. In case you're wondering, the show is being displayed on a smoky screen that's just floating in mid air and giving off little wisps of air every few seconds. It's sound goes directly to my ear so it won't disturb their conversation and gives me a little time to relax when things are falling apart for the Jedi order and the republic. Trust me when I say, they should have been expecting this. The republic has so many corrupt senators that it could have easily been torn down from the inside but I guess making it into an empire is pretty much the same thing.

"We know it is rather hard to grasp but there are more important things that we have to do. What remains of our order is being treated for injuries on Polis Massa and with this empire around we don't know what is going on in the galaxy. We need you to keep us posted and to help us return democracy to the galaxy."

"Of course we will help you, master Jedi. But how will we hide our plans from a force wielder such as Starkiller if he is as powerful as you say?" Mon Mothma questions.

Obi-Wan looks at me. "Anakin, is there anything that you could do?"

I wave my hand through the smokey screen and make it disappear. "I have a friend who can make it so that Starkiller won't be able to sense you whenever you're in a certain place. He'll be able to help you out if I remind him of the favour he owes me."

"And you didn't think to mention this before?"

I sigh. "Obi-Wan, did you honestly think that I was going to be able to get in touch with any of my friends when I was in your Jedi temple? No. I wasn't. Anyway, we really should get going. The senate guards are doing rounds of every senators home who put their name on the Delegation of The 2000 and taking them into custody."

"How do you know about that bill?" Senator Organa asks in surprise.

"I'm a force wielder. I can know literally anything I want to if I set my mind to it." I answer in the most polite way I can whilst trying not to sound too arrogant. "So unless you want to get arrested and executed, we should leave."

"How long do we have?" Obi-Wan asks.

"Two minutes. Tops."

"Then we'd better get going."

* * *

I cannot believe how well equipped these senators are. True, I had more than an inkling due to my force sensitivity but still. They all had bags waiting just in case they needed to leave in a hurry, which I already knew, and a secret exit that only the foundation builders knew about. I'm just impressed at how organized they are compared to the Jedi order with their one cruiser that contains no supplies and wouldn't have been used had I not warned them all that something was coming. That's just another reason of why I disagree with the Jedi order but I'm not about to kill them all for a little disagreement.

We had just come out of the passageway and were headed for Senator Amidala's ship when a large clone patrol entered the hanger. I'd sensed them coming but never thought they'd get here so quickly.

"You've got to be kidding me," I comment as the large patrol seized control of the entire hanger and starting placing guards around every ship from 500 republica. They must have come from the apartment above looking for Padmé.

My hand rose to get rid of them all when I cringed and flinched at the same time.

"Oh, kriff!" I cursed quietly whilst holding my head.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked in concern.

"It's nothing just..." I took a deep breath. "If I don't use all of the excess power that has built up from my little 'stay' in your temple then there is going to be a very big explosion. Basically like a power outage where everything is let lose."

"If this causes you pain then why didn't you say anything?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"Are you seriously telling me that you have any spare places where I can do things to get rid of all of the power in _me_?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. Would using your powers to get rid of the clones help?"

"It would give me a few hours more, yeah." I admitted whilst rubbing my temples to ease the pain. "Okay, wait here."

After waiting for a moment, I step out from the shadows and walk right to the center of the room with the hood of my cloak still up. The clones turn and ready their guns to shoot me but I just stand there with a grin on my face. It is going to feel so _good_ to get rid of some of this extra power that I have.

"Halt!" One of them says and I roll my eyes. Where am I going to go exactly? "State your intent."

I sigh. "Well if you must know, my intent is to beat the crap out of you and then get off of Coruscant." I admit. "Does that sound like a good intent to you?"

I can sense their anger sparking and I close my eyes as one of them comes up behind me to hit me with his gun but he never gets to. Using the force, I throw him away and across the room before taking all the ships that aren't important to any of the senators and using them to smash into all the clones and send them to kingdom come. I walk through all the decimation whilst it's still happening and go right up to the ship. It's a Naboo cruiser and I have to say it's rather nice for a ship that has been used since Senator Amidala was queen of Naboo. I still remember being on it and hanging around with the droids.

Waving my hand in front of the panel, I make the ships doors open and the landing ramp slide out. For good measure I make sure to open the hanger doors as well so we can get out easier. I look behind me and see that things are still being thrown about so I click my fingers and everything freezes just like it did in the Jedi temple. I wave my hand again and things move out of the way so there is a clear path to the ship and a barrier between all other entrances so nobody else can try and stop us. It doesn't take a force wielder to see the exasperated look on Obi-Wan's face.

"Must you be such a show off, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asks.

I give him an innocent look. "You think _that _was showing off? I really need to show you some of the more powerful things I can do. How'd you like me to blow up a moon with nothing but a thought?"

He went pale. "What?"

"I was joking, Obi-Wan." I say. "Force wielders can't blow up moons or planets with a single thought so you can relax."

He nods slowly. "For some reason I don't quite believe that, Anakin." With that 'happy' comment, he led the way forwards and onto the ship. I let them all go first just in case something bad happened or someone showed up. Nobody did but it was better to be safe than sorry as Obi-Wan frequently told me. I'd never quite understood that before now.

"Relax, Obi-Wan." I say as I follow them inside. "It would take at least fifty force wielders to do something like that."

"And how many are on your planet?" Senator Organa asked.

"Two billion..." I say before realizing. "Oh, right. Well, it's not like Starkiller can do anything when there's only one of him. Destroying planets and moons takes a lot of power to do."

"So what can he do?"

I thought for a moment. "At the rate his powers are growing then he could become powerful enough to zap the life force from a person but he'll never be as powerful as I am."

"And how do you know he won't be?"

"Because I have the highest midi-chlorine count in history and am the most powerful force wielder in existence," I inform him. "Shall we get moving then?"

Senator Amidala heads to the cockpit with her protocol droid and starts the ship up whilst the rest of us take a seat in the back. The others pull down the harnesses to secure themselves. I don't think being thrown around is one of the things they enjoy doing.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan says. "Aren't you going to strap yourself in?"

"Immortal," I remind him, pointing to myself. Obi-Wan glares at me. "Okay, okay, I'll make sure I don't fall off."

I wave my hand over the area of the seat and my own much more comfortable arrangement appears that goes around my wait and over my shoulder. It's much easier for me to move then. And relax. I need to be relaxed to sense the important things around me. The ship started to take off when I got the warning feeling in my gut. I gave Obi-Wan a look and he sighed.

"What's coming after us now?" He asked.

I turned in my seat and waved my hand at the ship wall. It started to fade until the entire section by our heads was invisible and we could see everything that was outside on Coruscant. I spotted the problem immediately. There were clone ships closing in on us and they had started to open fire. I turned to Obi-Wan.

"This ship doesn't have enough power to get us away before they blow us up and the guns need more power for that many fighters." I say.

"Then what do you suggest?"

I smirked at him. "You sit tight old man. I'll go up and get rid of them."

"What do you mean go up?"

The straps around me disappeared and I stood up to wave my hand at the roof. A section as big as me disappeared from it. Without saying anything, I jumped up through it and it closed up again once I'd cleared it. There was a squadron of fifteen large fighters and I could sense that they knew Obi-Wan and Master Yoda were onboard this ship. They knew because they had been tipped off by a certain dark force wielder from Serreno who must be sensing everything about the grandmasters location. I gritted my teeth and clenched my jaw. Once this ship had cleared the atmosphere I was going to give Starkiller a nasty surprise.

Blaster bolts soared through the air with deadly accuracy and hit the Nubian cruiser fifty percent of the time. I knew this wasn't good. Raising my hand, I used what the Jedi would call sith lightning and made it into a ball of pure energy. Then I threw it at one of the ships and it exploded with a bang. The pilot fell out of the ruins and activated his safety mechanism to ensure he didn't die. I did the same thing five times and that meant a total of six ships had been destroyed in under thirty seconds. I sensed surprise and shock from underneath my feet which meant the others were watching the ships be destroyed. This whole shocked thing was really starting to get tiring. It was just an advanced force technique.

There were nine fighters left.

I heard a loud bang and looked down at the ship. A large chunk had been torn out and the force sent me a message that made my eyes widen. Obi-Wan was in severe pain. I cursed out loud and created one huge forcefield around the ship. All blaster bolts bounced off of it and disappeared into the air a few moments later. I raised my hand and made a fist and the star fighters started to crumple into balls of metal. I released my hold on them after a few moments and they fell out of the sky. Then I turned on the spot and used the strongest force push in my arsenal, which was pretty powerful, to shove all offending objects and ships out of our way so that we could get out of Coruscant's atmosphere.

Once that was done I waved my hand at the floor beneath me and it disappeared. I dropped straight down into the ship itself and the roof sealed itself up again. On the floor covered in blood was Obi-Wan and there was a gaping hole in the place where his seat had been. I cursed myself in my head. If I wasn't having that stupid power outage right now I would have been able to stop this. I placed my hand on the ruined wall for a second and when I took it away it began to repair itself like healing skin. The senators and Master Yoda, who were huddled around Obi-Wan, moved out of my way as I knelt down beside him and started to heal his wounds.

As I was healing him I noticed that something was wrong. There was something in his bloodstream that wasn't supposed to be there. I used the force to sense what it was and discovered it was a highly toxic substance that was used as fuel for ships like this one. How it got into his bloodstream I have no idea but there is one thing I do know. I never learned how to get stuff out from peoples bloodstreams because I thought it was a waste of time and that my friends would be able to do it for me. That meant that _I_ had to keep using the force to sustain Obi-Wan's life essence or he was going to die and that was not about to happen.

I told the others about what was wrong and how I couldn't fix it. They were really concerned for Obi-Wan's health and even Master Yoda could sense that there was something wrong before I'd told him. I really didn't want it to have to come to this but it was either death or leaving the order behind in a galaxy at war. His safety came first for me so I decided to tell them about my idea.

"There are healers back on my planet who can heal him in the blink of an eye," I say. "The only problem is I'd have to take him there to do it."

"Would he be able to return afterwards?" Senator Mothma asked.

I shook my head slowly with a frown. "Not right away, no. I'm certain he'll be able to come back at some point but knowing Obi-Wan he'd probably want to get a good look around first. Plus, I'll need to watch him for a month just in case something happens."

Master Yoda gave me a thoughtful look. "Speak to the Jedi council about this I will. Be able to sustain his life will you?"

I nodded. "Definitely. He can survive for a few hours without me anyway and then I can just fix his immune system so he has a few more hours again. It should be enough time for a decision to be made."

"Are you certain you can save him?" Senator Mothma questioned.

"Completely," I replied. "He should be fine if we reach Polis Massa within a few hours."

"But Polis Massa is halfway across the galaxy," Senator Organa pointed out. "It will take us longer than just a few hours to get there."

"I could make us go faster," I suggested. "But unless you want to lose your lunch then I probably shouldn't. I might be able to upgrade the hyper drive instead so the ship travels faster through hyperspace."

"A safer option that seems to be," Master Yoda said. "Upgrade the hyper drive you should and watch over Master Kenobi we will."

I nodded and stood up to go to the hyper drive. I could definitely make the ship go about three times as fast and five times as fast if I put my back into it.

* * *

I worked on the hyper drive for a solid hour without stopping and got the ship to travel at triple the speed it did before. I always had on ear open to the force to keep track of Obi-Wan's condition and I had created a device on a smokey screen that displayed his pulse rate and the levels of the chemicals in his body. It was better to know how much of the toxic chemical was in his body than not to and there was actually quite a lot of it. The fuel tank of this cruiser was so big that we had enough to go to Polis Massa and back which meant I just had to be grateful that Obi-Wan wasn't dead yet. I would know when things got ugly but that didn't stop me worrying.

I turned around when I sensed a familiar force presence enter the room and smiled. It was Padmé. She smiled back at me and glanced at the smokey screen beside me with a frown.

"Obi-Wan's charts," I explained her wordless question.

She nodded in understanding.

"How are you? With all of this empire stuff I mean."

"I thought you could already sense how I feel?" She asked.

I nodded. "I can, but it's considered impolite to just say how someone's feeling when they don't want anyone else to know."

Padmé smiled and sat down on one of the crates in the room. "So, what happened to you Anakin? Last I saw you there wasn't any of these powers or force wielders around."

"I got kidnapped," I explained. "By some people who wanted to take me to another dark force wielder. But half way there I was saved by the other force wielders and they killed the evil one right there in front of me. Then they said that this galaxy was filled with darkness and wasn't safe for me so they took me back to their planet and taught me how to defend myself. I wouldn't have even been immortal if they hadn't done the typical ritual that they do for all force wielders at birth. So when I came back here after ten years and the Jedi saw my powers they were as shocked as you are now. That's why they imprisoned me."

"Imprisoned you?"

"Yeah, I was the first force wielder they saw and since I'm the most powerful it was a really big shock for them. They got scared and decided to lock me away. I would have just left if they hadn't put me in the room right next to a support beam that would have brought down the entire temple had I blasted my way out." I explained. "Obi-Wan was never afraid of me though. Neither was Ahsoka. She's a youngling who got chased into my room by a few bullies one day. She's a force wielder too. Well, half force wielder and half non force sensitive. She was raised by the Jedi so if you want to know what an untrained force wielder is like you should talk to her."

"There was an untrained force wielder in the Jedi temple all this time?"

"Yes. But, like I said, she's half and half so they couldn't sense anything different about her until I started to teach her a few things."

"So force wielders have been in this galaxy for quite some time then."

"Actually they all used to live here thousands of years ago but the Jedi order thought they might attack them and tried to destroy them. Obviously they failed since I'm here and force wielders are immortal. Force wielders have always been neutral or on the light side so none of the Jedi were killed but that's the reason the force wielders moved to another galaxy. People here were just too fearful to understand anything about them. They could only see the downsides."

Padmé nodded sadly in understanding. "There will always be people like that in this galaxy. The republic was unable to do anything to change that when it was around."

"I could do something if you'd like," I offered. "It would take a while but I could use the force to influence the way people's personalities develop so that everyone is perfect."

"That wouldn't be natural, Anakin. People need to grow up in their own way and not one that we chose for them."

I smirked. "You're just as I remember you, Padmé." I commented. "They must really adore you if they made you a senator after you were queen. Not that I can't see why."

Padmé blushed slightly. "Thank you," She said. "And you are just as I remember with your personality. Always fixing things and being a good person."

I smiled. "Thanks," I replied. "You didn't answer my question though. How are you feeling?"

She sighed. "Like my world is crashing down around me. I still can't believe that Chancellor Palpatine would turn the republic into an empire."

"Well, he is a sith lord. Although nobody knows about that yet other than the people onboard this ship." I said. "You don't need to worry that much Padmé. Nothing lasts forever and this empire is no exception. Even if it does have an immortal force wielder backing it."

"Are you going to kill him?"

I shook my head with an apologetic look. "I'm not allowed. The laws from my planet say that force wielders are not allowed to kill one another unless the other does something to provoke you. Starkiller attacked Ahsoka and Obi-Wan so I injured him enough to keep him away from Coruscant for a few days but unless he does something to make me really mad then I'm not allowed to do a thing. That's not to say I can't keep people safe though. The law only says that I can't kill him."

"That must be annoying for you."

"Yeah, it is. If I had my way he would have been blasted out of the cosmos by now for going after Obi-Wan but I can't do that... yet." I added.

"Don't you have anything that you have to do now that you're a force wielder?" She asked.

I thought for a moment. "Nope. Not unless my mentor, the one who helped train me to be a force wielder, offers me a job or something. I got a ton of money the moment I arrived on the planet and a home to stay in because of my... status."

"Status?"

"Of who my father is," I explained.

"Oh, was he a powerful force wielder?"

"Think bigger," I said. "Way, way bigger. You have to promise not to tell any of your senator friends but I'm someone from a Jedi prophecy who's destined to destroy the sith forever and the force wielders have proven that my father is the force itself."

"The force?" Padmé repeated with raised eyebrows. "As in the energy that the Jedi are tied to. Where your power comes from."

"Yes," I replied. "It's really difficult to explain so I tend to just say that I'm the son of the force and leave it at that. That's why I got so much and attracted so much attention from the force wielders. I'm actually my own species but I haven't come up with a name for me yet. It's easier to just say that I'm a force wielder because I am. Just more advanced. Do you sort of understand?"

"Sort of," She agreed. "So how long until we reach Polis Massa?"

"Let me just do this," I used the force to help me snap a part of the hyper drive into a new position. "We should be there in just under two hours."


	34. Saying Goodbye To The Jedi, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Saying Goodbye To The Jedi**__**, Ahsoka Tano**_

I wasn't exactly happy that Anakin had decided to send me on ahead so that I was out of the action. In fact, I was furious. I think I might have warped some of the durasteel walls because of how mad I was but Master Plo escorted me to my own room on the cruiser so I couldn't sneak off or anything. There was just under half of the Jedi order left and that meant there was enough room for everyone on the cruiser. Not enough rooms for us all to have one each but enough room for all of the younglings to get some sleep in as we made our way to Polis Massa to treat the wounded. The order had allies there who would help us and I was too tired and bothered to care.

Master Plo wanted me to go and stay with my clan at first but then I told him to remember Pedro and how Slimo was still lurking about somewhere so he put me in my own room. I could sense my friends looking for me and felt a little guilty that I had locked myself in my room but I just didn't want to talk to any of them. The Jedi order had been forced to go on the run because of a force wielder and I was half force wielder. None of them knew that yet and I wasn't keen to find out what their reactions would be when they did find out. They'd probably hate me forever. Make me an outcast. Tell everyone that I was evil.

To make matters worse, I had a really bad headache. You know why? Because everyone was trying to release their emotions to the force and I ended up sensing them all before they came right back to that person. I was having a really bad day and it was because Anakin had left me alone on a cruiser with a protection field that didn't defend against emotional trauma. This headache was really starting to get on my nerves before people finally started to fall asleep. All of the masters and knights stayed awake to pilot the cruiser but the padawans and younglings were literally _forced_ to go to sleep. I even got a visit from a knight sent by Master Plo saying that I had to go to sleep too.

I slept for a long time and I don't really know why. Maybe it had something to do with exhaustion or the trauma of everything that has happened but I just slept like a log. My room would not open for _anyone_ as I slept and not even those who had the code to unlock it could get through. I woke up every time someone came to my door and knew that it was probably just some knight that the council had sent to check that I was still in my room and not trying to sneak off anywhere. We were in hyperspace on a cruiser with thousands of Jedi that could sense wherever I went and they still had to check up on me. That was when I realized that to them I wasn't a normal Jedi youngling anymore. I was the force wielder in disguise who was going to die if they didn't make a decision soon. I'm not really a force wielder but you know what I mean.

When I woke up we had arrived at Polis Massa and the other Jedi who weren't still sleeping had gotten off the cruiser to get medical attention or talk to one another about what was going on in the galaxy. I was woken by Master Plo who told me once I had gotten out of bed to open the door that he had sent three Jedi before him to try and wake me but I slept too deeply. I apologized out of instinct and remembered directly afterwards how Anakin would tell me never to apologize for something that wasn't my fault. Master Plo led me off of the cruiser and I could see just how many people had been injured by the clones even when they had only just breached the temple.

There were younglings _everywhere_. If they were older that two then they weren't inside a room and they were sat out in the open looking scared and confused. I felt really sorry for them. The rest of the Jedi council were nowhere in sight but there were Jedi knights and masters doing their best to look after the other younglings. I looked around for a familiar face. Barris would do, or any one of the twins. But I couldn't see any of them. Not even Pedro who had started to be mean to me because of the competition rivalry, fear of what was going on and then fear of force wielders. I'm not going to say that I'm not angry at him because of his over reaction because I am. I seriously am. He's supposed to be a regular Jedi who can control his temper whereas I am not normal. Not anymore.

We walked through a few of the indoor corridors until we came to an open space where there were some really familiar faces. The twins were there looking glum and so were the rest of my clan. Somehow they had all survived. When we arrived the twins looked up and relief spread across their faces.

"Thank force," Jay said. "We thought the clones had got you."

"Nope. Still here." I replied.

"And all thanks to your force wielder friend," Pedro grumbled.

"Put a sock in it pouting Thomas." Kay snapped.

"Younglings, play nice." Master Plo said. "The council is reaching a decision on what our future will hold but until that happens there must be no violence. Ration bars are being handed out if you're hungry and restrooms are inside the facility."

He then turned and walked away. We were all left alone out in the cold to think about what was going on around us. You could tell that if we spent more than five seconds thinking about our lives now that we would fall into pits of despair. I walked over to the twins and sat down beside Kay. Everyone was shivering and unable to stop themselves. I could feel the cold now and was certain that I was going to start shaking and have my teeth chattering together at any moment.

"Ration bars..." Jay snorted. "They're not exactly food, are they?"

"I can't believe we had to go to Polis Massa. It's so cold and there's no way to start a fire," Kay added. "Hey, 'Soka, were'd your friend go? The force wielder?"

"He stayed behind with Master Kenobi and Master Yoda to figure out what was going on," I replied. "And to make sure that nobody got left behind."

"When he gets back is he just going to take off or something?"

"No," I said. "He'll probably make sure that Master Kenobi is okay and then make sure I'm okay and then... I don't really know what he'll do. He likes to live life in his own way if you know what I mean. Sort of like you two do."

"But he can start a fire, right?" Katooni asked. "You can ask him to start one for us?"

I shifted around a little. "Well, uh, he thinks that fire starting is really easy to do." I said. "So he sort of taught me how to do it aswell."

"Well? What are you waiting for? Permission?" Kay asked sarcastically. "Go on! We're freezing! It'll be better for us all if we had a fire."

"I can't make a full blown fire, though." I protested. "Only one in the palm of my hand that I haven't really tried making into a large fire yet."

"There's a first time for everything, Ahsoka." Barris reminded me.

I sighed and concentrated really hard. And by hard I mean seriously hard. I put every happy memory I had in the front of my mind and most of them were about the time I spent playing games with Anakin or watching him and Master Kenobi have an argument over which rule in the Jedi code is the worst. That particular memory did it a little too well for me and both of my hands were on fire just like that. It wasn't a little fire either. It took up the whole space around my hands and spread down to just below my wrists. The twins jumped in surprise and I kept my hands a safe distance away from my body just in case my clothing got set on fire.

"Wow," Jay said in disbelief. "Talk about your advanced force techniques."

"Can you place it in the middle, Ahsoka?" Kay asked. "Or just make it warmer? I'll settle for either one."

I rolled my eyes. "Hold on. I haven't done this that many times before."

By this point I had no idea what I was doing so I just thought in my head. _Don't set my friends on fire or burn anything down, just go in the middle. _It was a really stupid thing to think but I got an idea in my head anyway. I aimed the fire at the spot directly in the middle of where we were all sat and thought about the fire shooting off my hands and landing there. It sort of worked. My hands weren't on fire anymore as the fire had shot away from them and stopped in mid air right in the middle of where we were all sat. It turned into a ball of fire like the stars in the galaxy but not as warm and not as bright. I could feel the heat since the fire wasn't that far away from any of us and I was really amazed by what I'd managed to do.

"Ahsoka, that was amazing!" Byph exclaimed.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, why would you think otherwise?" Katooni questioned.

"Well, because Anakin can do that in his sleep." I said.

"He's a force wielder, Ahsoka. You're a Jedi youngling and years younger than he is. It's amazing and that is that." Jay said with finality in his voice.

"But -"

"_That. Is. That._" Jay repeated firmly but with a smile on his face. "Hey, what else can you do?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I can create light but that's it. We didn't really do much of the whole teaching new force techniques thing."

"Light..." Kay said dreamily. "That is _so_ cool. Do you know how to teach other people?"

"I- I don't think so. No. I don't know how to teach it to other's." I replied, deliberately leaving out the part about them not being part force wielder so they couldn't do it. I didn't know for certain if they couldn't, though, so I made a mental note to question Anakin about it once he got here.

"That's so unfair," Jay complained. "You get the coolest friends in the galaxy. Hey, anyone want a ration bar?"

Several people said that they did but I didn't. In fact, everyone but me said that they wanted a ration bar. I didn't really want to eat a ration bar because they taste disgusting but I was really hungry so my hunger should have over ruled that. This time it didn't. I just felt too uncomfortable to eat right now and that wasn't about to change any time soon. Jay rushed off to the nearest Jedi knight who was offering them to other younglings who were hungry or upset. I was fully prepared to just sit and brood whilst everyone else discussed what we were going to do when a ship entered the atmosphere. A Nubian cruiser. You know who I could sense on that ship? Anakin. He only let me or Master Kenobi sense where he was.

"Who's ship is that?" Kay asked.

"I don't know," I said. "But Anakin's on that ship."

"The force wielder?"

I nodded.

"That means Master Yoda and Master Kenobi are on that ship too," Barris said. "They can finally help make a decision with the council."

"Something's wrong..." I said as this strange feeling crept over me. Then something like pain from Master Kenobi but it was so faint I could barely sense it. "I think something happened to Master Kenobi."

"How can you tell?" Pedro asked me a question for the first time.

"Because Anakin told me that when you sense little things in the force you should never ignore them," I explained. "You can make it look as if you are so you catch whatever it is off guard by being prepared but never really ignore them. Master Kenobi is in pain. I know he is."

"And there are other people on that ship too," Katooni said. "Can anyone else sense them? There are three other people apart from Master Kenobi and Master Yoda... I can't sense your force wielder friend."

"He doesn't like people being able to sense him." I said. "Only people he trusts."

"You mean like you?"

"Yeah. And Master Kenobi too."

The ship landed on the space of the landing pad that was left and the ramp descended. Three of the senators that you saw on the HoloNet walked out and Master Yoda came out using his walking stick. Then the bad part came. Anakin walked out with his hand on something and I realized that it was a stretcher. On that stretcher was Master Kenobi and he did not look good. It was as if his health was slowly deteriorating. The Jedi council appeared out of nowhere on that area of Polis Massa and ran towards them. They all looked at Master Kenobi first before asking questions. You couldn't make out what they were saying because they were all saying it at once. Anakin tried to stop them several times but they wouldn't listen. Then he used the force to enhance his voice.

"_WHERE _is Ahsoka?" He asked them and they all stopped their questions. Everyone around me turned to give me the raised eyebrows look and I just lifted my shoulders in the 'who knew?' gesture. "Thank you," Anakin said to them before disappearing into the Polis Massa facility. The Jedi council started listening to Master Yoda as he answered each of their questions in his usual voice.

I sighed. This was going to be a very long day if everyone kept asking questions about things when they should have been making up their minds.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin called as he reappeared coming out of the Polis Massa facility and walked towards me. "Where have you been and why is there a fire floating in the middle of your group of friends?"

I gave him an innocent look. "I was... Trying out new things?"

He looked from me to the ball of fire and back again. "Well, Snips, first of all you shouldn't be playing with fire and second... I'm so proud." He said with a smirk. "But don't tell Obi-Wan, okay? He'll kill me if he wakes up and finds out."

"What's wrong with Master Kenobi?" Kay asked.

"Poisonous fluid in his blood system," Anakin replied.

"Can't you just heal it?" I questioned.

"I healed up his body when it got torn in half, Snips. I think I deserve a little break here," He said. "Besides, I don't do fluids in blood systems. I can keep him alive for a while but, ultimately, if your Jedi council don't make a decision soon he's going to die."

"A decision about what?" Katooni asked.

"About whether I can take him and Ahsoka back to my planet or not," Anakin replied and everyone's eyes went wide with the exception of mine. "Unless they want them both to suffer a painful death that is."

"Why? Is there something wrong with Ahsoka?"

"No. Just a little complication," Anakin said offhandedly. "Snips, have you eaten?"

"No," I replied. "Jay went to get ration bars but I couldn't eat so I didn't ask for one."

"I'm not surprised when ration bars is your only option." Anakin tutted. "You want take away?"

I blinked. "How are you going to get take away when we're all the way out here?"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Force wielder," He pointed out. With a snap of his fingers there were boxes of take away from one of the best shops on Coruscant floating about and they all positioned themselves so that there was one in front of each of us, one in the space where Jay would sit once he got back and one for him. Everyone's jaws dropped as they stared at what was in front of them and proceeded to gape.

"It's not got any of those cheap prawn crackers in it, has it?" I asked.

"Not in yours it doesn't." Anakin answered and he sat down beside me in a space that no-one had sat in before. "But no-one else seems to mind that much so there you are." He waved his hand at the ball of fire and it got bigger which meant it got warmer. "That's much better."

"How did it go? Did you find out anything?"

"Yep. Turns out your dear Chancellor Palpatine is a sith lord. He just turned the republic into the first galactic empire since the time of the sith empire. But I guess it's the same thing."

"Does that mean Starkiller has control of the galaxy?"

"In some form of another he does. But you never know. He might end up killing Palpatine for the throne and then the Jedi order has one less thing to worry about."

"You mean aside from being on the run from everyone?" Barris asked.

Anakin sighed. "I guess so. But this thing is never going to stick. An empire with a force wielder backing it? That's going to be hard to deal with but not impossible. You should already be on your way to another planet if your council would just hurry up and make a decision. They take forever to make up their minds."

"Can't you just, you know... Go?" Kay asked. "They don't have any jurisdiction over you. You could just leave. Why do you stay?"

"Eh, because I care a lot more than some people," Anakin replied. "And because it's not in my nature to leave friends behind. Plus, my mother is still out there. Somewhere in this galaxy."

"You said you were going to find her," I pointed out. "Once we get off Polis Massa are you going to look?"

"Maybe," Anakin said. "But if I waste too much time Obi-Wan will die so I'll have to get him and you back to my planet first. Then I'll look for her."

We all started eating then. Me and the other younglings because we were starving and Anakin because he was obviously worried about Obi-Wan. We all just sat there and talked. The others eventually got used to Anakin's presence there and just started talking as if it was natural. It was like we were all back in the temple again but with the added bonus of Anakin being there too. I liked it more than I could say and it made me forget about everything that was going on around us. We spent a good few hours just sat there and when we started to get sore from sitting on the floor Anakin just waved his hand and suddenly we were all sat on cushions.

Jay came back and looked a little miffed that we'd started eating without him but soon got over it. Food always made people feel better when it came from the right person or the right place. I wasn't sure if appearing out of thin air was a place but I didn't ask any questions. It was better to go with the flow. Then just as we finished eating and Anakin had made the fire glow golden so that there was more light for us to see Master Windu came towards us with Master Fisto. They said that the council had reached a decision and that the senators had helped them come to it. They also said that I had to come to listen to their decision too.

The Jedi council were staying in a room with the ones who ran Polis Massa but they had left to give us some privacy. Master Kenobi was still on his stretcher in the corner and had machines monitoring his health. I recognized the three senators now that I was closer. Senator Organa, Senator Mothma and Senator Amidala. You know, I could have sworn I saw Anakin give her one to many glances when we walked inside but I decided not to say anything. It was ammunition for another time.

"The council has reached a decision."

I could see the words floating in Anakin's brain right now. _You don't say? _

"To save the lives of Master Kenobi and Youngling Tano you will be allowed to take them back to your planet," Master Windu said. "But there are some conditions."

"Fire away." Anakin said.

"There must be a place for the order to stay where Starkiller cannot sense us. What remains of the Jedi will be wiped out if he finds us."

"I can get that done in less than an hour."

"Master Kenobi must be allowed to return if he wishes."

"Of course."

"And we need the basis of a plan to bring down the empire."

"Well that's easy. Just make an alliance." Anakin said.

"An alliance?"

"Yes. There were lots of senators in the Delegation of the 2000. They must be able to help you and you can make an alliance with them then try to bring the empire down from the inside. Is that enough for you to start on?"

"Plenty." Master Windu replied. "The order is leaving for Yavin 4 in the next hour so we advise that you, the youngling and Master Kenobi leave at once."

Anakin nodded. "We'll go then. When you get to your old temple it'll already be protected against dark force wielders but that's not to say that I can't sense you. So if you get into big trouble then I'll know about and find a way to get you out of it."

Master Windu nodded. "Thank you, Skywalker."

"Don't mention it." Anakin turned to me. "Let's get out of here, Snips."


	35. Arriving At Primus, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**Arriving At Primus,**__** Ahsoka Tano**_

I was awoken by the lurching of the ship beneath me and instantly felt my eyelids grow heavy again. Anakin had gotten Master Kenobi onto a small ship that the council had given us and I had said goodbye to my clan mates and the twins. It was really hard to get away from them because they all, with the exception of Pedro who just seemed uneasy around me, jumped at me and latched onto me with no intention of letting go. Nobody could get them off until Anakin clicked his fingers and suddenly they were all standing upright ten feet away from me looking more flustered than I was. I apologized and said goodbye before boarding the ship with Anakin and then we took off.

After the first few minutes where Anakin typed in the hyperspace coordinates and I was forced to eat something so I wouldn't be hungry when I woke up, which I was, I went to sleep in the back. I looked up at the chrono on the bedside table that Anakin had made for me and saw that I'd been asleep for just over seven hours. Plus I was hungry. Like _seriously_ hungry. I got off the bed right then and exited the room. I'd been sleeping on top of the covers instead of over them because there was more than enough heat in the back since that was right next to the hyper drive that had been in use the whole time. I would have wondered why it hadn't blown up had I not already gotten over the fact that Anakin was a force wielder.

I walked into the cockpit to see Anakin asleep in the pilots seat with a pillow behind his head. There was no-one flying the ship and even though we were in hyper space I knew that the ship had lurched because we were just about to come out of hyper space. I headed over to stand beside his seat and was fully prepared to shout him awake when he beat me to the punch.

"Not a good idea Snips," Anakin said with his eyes still closed. "I could have killed you if you'd surprised me, which is impossible since I can always sense whats around me but you get the idea."

"We're about to come out of hyper space, aren't we?" I asked and deliberately ignored his statement.

"Yes," Anakin replied but he still did not open his eyes. "And the reason you know that is because your force sensitivity is picking up and slowly turning you into a force wielder."

"But I felt the ship lurch." I protested.

"No, you _thought_ you felt the ship lurch. Nothing really happened and the force was telling you that we are just about to come out of hyper space so it made you think that the ship was lurching."

"That's really confusing."

"I know, you'll get the hang of it in the end." He then opened his eyes and sat up straight in his seat. "Sit down, Snips. We're coming up on Primus in ten seconds."

"Primus?" I frowned. "Like the first day of the week in the outer rim?"

"No," Anakin corrected me. "Like the name of the force wielder planet that was made the first day of the week in the outer rim after the force wielders had vacated the galaxy."

I nodded once, slowly. "Okay, I think I understand that part." I said though I was slightly uncertain about that myself. I sat down in the copilot's chair and waited.

Anakin let out a relieved sigh two minutes later. "Thank force," He said. "_Home_."

I was confused by what he meant until we really did come out of hyper space and my jaw dropped. You know, I have to have imagined what this force wielder planet would look like a thousand times but I never imagined that it would look like this. Now, I've only ever been to two planets that I can remember. Coruscant and Naboo. One was covered in a gigantic city that had no end and the other was covered in lakes and forests with little towns and cities dotted around everywhere so that people could live their lives. It's basically two opposite ends of the spectrum in the planet encyclopedia but now there was a whole new spectrum for me to consider.

Primus, the force wielder planet, was like what a Jedi would imagine heaven to be in the netherworld. It's sun was large and provided enough warmth to make the inside of the ship feel warm. And by warm I mean the comfortable kind of warm and not the boiling kind of warm that many space pilots complained about. I knew that something had to have been done to it because as far as I knew stars didn't turn from yellow to red and orange to green and back again. I am being serious. It slowly turned different colours as the only planet in the solar system turned on it's axis. I was able to make out a pattern with the different coloured lights that it gave off.

When a certain side of the planet faced the sun then it was yellow and as the planet turned it grew into different colours. For instance, right now it was changing from yellow to red. The planet itself looked awesome. There was this white glow around it that suggested the atmosphere was one of the healthiest ones in the universe and I didn't doubt that for a second. There were large patches of water dotted around along with green areas of the wilderness but there was more than that. I could see a large desert area just below the equator and several silver patches that suggested there were entire cities made of metal down there just like the ones on Coruscant.

There was a section of water on the planet that was changing colours from blue to dark green and every colour in between. One spot on the planet caught the sun at the exact right angle and started to shine like a torch being held up close to your face. There were some spots that just glowed certain colours and an entire cloud made of every colour you could imagine was hanging over a place in the north. There were ice caps at both of the poles but they looked different to the ones I'd seen before. They looked healthy and as white as paper even from space and if you looked close enough you could see colours flashing down there. It was completely amazing and my mouth felt sore from how wide it was hanging open.

"How does it look Snips?" Anakin asked me, sounding amused.

"It-... Well, it looks..." I was stuttering now and Anakin started to laugh.

"Do you want me to tell you about some of the places that are down there?" He questioned and I nodded my head eagerly. "Well then, you see that multi-coloured cloud down there? That's the domain of the potion makers. You name it they make it. That's why there are so many colours because of the fumes they give off. I'll take you there once Obi-Wan wakes up. That green sea area is where all of the underwater cities are located and that spot there that shines once the sun hits it is called the sun city. It's the capital of the planet and where we're going to take Obi-Wan so my friends down there can heal him."

"Who runs the planet?" I asked curiously. "The force wielders must have a leader right?"

Anakin laughed again. "Yeah, that leader would be _me_ Snips. I'm the chosen one, remember?" He reminded me. "But I could never lead all of these people. You know that. I asked the prime minister to keep things the way they were and to just let things happen in the way they wanted. I only get called in for dangerous missions such as experiments gone wrong and rogue force wielders who need help finding their way."

"They're not like Starkiller are they?" I couldn't help but ask.

"No, definitely not like Starkiller. They're a thousand times better and everyone is friendly. No crime since you can't steal from a force wielder and have them not notice. No violence. No nothing. It's a perfect society for any force sensitive if you know where to look."

I nodded quickly in agreement and kept looking at the planet. Every time I would find something new. A spiraling cloud hovering over a large ocean area. A city made of solid gold that I could see now that the ship had moved closer. A lake area made of crystal. Everything was incredible to look at and something that I would never have dreamed could exist until now. Then I got a sudden thought in my head.

"Anakin, where do you live?" I asked. "Because I don't exactly have anywhere to go down there..."

"Relax, Snips. You can live with me and Obi-Wan will probably end up living with me too." Anakin assured me. "You see that asteroid right there?" He pointed to a round asteroid that was circling the sun and was just a little distance in front of Primus. It might have passed for a moon if it wasn't too small and not circling a planet. "That's where I live."

I was even more shocked than before. "Force wielders live on asteroids?"

"No," Anakin said. "Just me. A perk of being the chosen one means I can do whatever I want and nobody complains so long as I remain in the light and don't hurt anybody. It's got air, a magnetic field and an ozone layer that holds in all the oxygen and gases that you need to live so you don't have to worry. Along with some grass, an area that you and your friends can hang out in once you find some and a really awesome pool."

"Pool?" I repeated. "I never thought I'd actually see a pool on an asteroid."

"I bet you never thought you'd see a city made of lightsaber crystal either." He commented.

My eyes went wide.

"They have a city made out of _lightsaber crystals_?"

"Oh yeah," Anakin confirmed. "I'll get you an atlas once we land. You may have noticed there aren't any other ships around and that's because there's no point in having them. Force wielders can just nether travel everywhere."

"What's nether travel?"

"Traveling through the nether world," Anakin explained. "Everyone can do it if you train them and you can take anyone with you. It doesn't work for planet to planet travel but there aren't any other planets you would want to go to and none in this solar system. I'm powerful enough to nether travel to my home in my sleep so you shouldn't have any problems doing it."

"Me?" I asked. "I don't know... Nether travel sounds hard..."

"It's easy, Snips. You just have to immerse yourself in the netherworld of the force and think of where you want to be and bingo. There you are."

"That doesn't sound any easier." I admitted. "And wouldn't it be a little weird if a person just, you know, vanished into thin air?"

"Oh, it doesn't work like that," Anakin said. "Everyone disappears in their own special way. Mine is very flashy since I'm the son of the force and all but yours should be less noticeable. Like having a light appear in your chest and then it spreads out across your body and as it does so you disappear."

"Okay," I didn't think nether travel sounded so bad anymore. It sounded like fun to me.

There was a beeping noise on the controls and when Anakin pressed it I heard a loud and playful voice on the other end.

"_Where in force's name have you been, Ani?" _A man asked. _"I mean, I know that you're the chosen one and you can just up and leave whenever you want but come on man! Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Well, not so much me, but Saddie won't let me get through the day without shouting at me for letting you leave!"_

Anakin laughed. "I'm fine, D. Just got a little sidetracked in my home galaxy."

"_So that's where the almighty chosen one went to," _The man on the other end, Anakin had called him D, said sarcastically. _"What have you been up to bro? Your mentor won't tell me a force damned thing!"_

"Well, you remember the thing about the first dimidium semino right?"

"_Of course I do, what am I chopped fish?"_

"Yeah, well, I might have gone out and found her." Anakin smirked at me and I glared back. "But don't over react."

"_Me? Over react? No, I'm not going to over react I'm just going to- FOR FORCES SAKE ANAKIN!" _

"D, will you relax? Please?"

"_NO! I WILL NOT RELAX! Do you have any idea how long I spent looking for you? Weeks! Months! And the whole time you were out looking for this historic guy who made history for the force wielders and crap." _The man on the other end let out a long sigh. _"Okay, I'm calm. I'm calm. Why can I sense more than your force presence on your ship?"_

"Oh, it's just Ahsoka and Obi-Wan." Anakin answered.

"_You mean the old dude that helped you get into the Jedi order? Wicked, man! Hey, who's Ahsoka?"_

"The first dimidium semino, idiot. She's almost eleven and three quarters so you had better have a shot ready when we land."

"_Eleven and three quarters? Kriffing hell! This is a close call you're making here, Ani. But so long as you bring back an important figure in history I doubt anybodies going to care. You don't have a bad back do you? Because Saddie's kids are waiting for you down here and I doubt Simon's gonna be gentle when he tackles you."_

"I'm fine, D." Anakin assured him. "Now can you get off the line? I have to land the ship and the sun's already hit Mains Greet."

"_Alright, alright, I'll get off the line. Warn your friend, though. You know how we force wielders are when the chosen one returns home after a long absence. We're talking parties and celebrations and serious time taking activities here."_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But can you get a healer for me please? Obi-Wan's got a deadly fluid in his blood stream and I never bothered to learn how to get it out."

"_I bet you will now though."_

"Just get a healer." Anakin said and the connection was cut. "Well, that was fun."

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Oh, that was just D. Childhood friend and all that."

I frowned. "How can his name be D? I don't get it."

"Snips, his real name is Diablo-detroit-ditto. We just call him D because it's easier."

"But what did he mean by celebrations and stuff?"

A grin made it's way onto Anakin's face. "Well Snips, imagine the Jedi order's grandmaster goes missing. When he comes back they have a big celebration to celebrate his safe return, yeah? Well imagine that but run by force wielders."

"So you're like their grandmaster?"

"If you want to put it bluntly, yes. I am the king." He said sarcastically with a smirk. "I just wish I'd had this much influence when I was younger. I could have gotten some little snots to roll around in mud for insulting my best mates."

I wasn't particularly sure if I wanted to know how violent Anakin's fights would have been when he was younger so I didn't ask any questions. Anakin piloted the ship down to the planet and I was still looking around at all of the new things I could see and once we broke the atmosphere I knew this was the best place in the universe. He had not been kidding about the celebration thing as there were tons of people crowded in the streets yelling and clapping and whooping as Anakin landed the ship but since it was on a platform beside the biggest building they couldn't come up to talk to us and I couldn't see them. I felt a little less nervous now that I didn't have to see any of the super powerful force wielders who were going to ask who I was once they saw me with Anakin.

Anakin stood up and gestured for me to follow him with a big smile on his face. I could tell that he was happier than he'd ever been because he was returning home for the first time in months. He did a quick check over on Master Kenobi before leading me towards the landing ramp which had already activated before we'd gotten there and I was really nervous about getting off the ship. There were some very important force wielders waiting for Anakin out there and I really didn't want to have to be out in the open whilst then were there. I wasn't doing too good a job of hiding my emotions, not that I ever could, so Anakin called me out on it a nanosecond later.

"You nervous Snips?" He asked.

"A little," I admitted.

"More than a little," He smirked at me. "Just stay on the ship and I'll go out and meet them, okay? I mean, even I didn't have to meet the prime minister on my first visit and I'm the chosen one. Stay here and calm your nerves for a bit, okay?"

"Okay."

I watched him walk down the landing ramp with the biggest smile on his face that was of pure happiness and I even saw him get slammed into by two kids who were about my age. The were both boys and one had white hair whilst the other had light brown hair. From what I heard Anakin say I was guessing that the one with light brown hair was called Simon and the other one was named Jack. I stayed in the ship with only Master Kenobi's force presence to remind me that there was something familiar nearby when there were millions of strong force presences around me from the force wielders who lived on the planet. I was beginning to wonder if Anakin was going to come back when he stuck his head around the corner.

"Hey, Snips. You coming or not?" He asked.

I frowned. "What about Master Kenobi?"

"The healers are coming inside to get him and I figured that you'd prefer to stay indoors with me rather than outside where everyone can see you or in a ship with some force wielders you've never met before," Anakin said. "Let's go."

I wasn't exactly very enthusiastic but I followed him. That is the one sentence to sum up what I did. I followed him out the ship and down the ramp. There was no-one about and that made me feel a little better about walking around out in the open. Now what really caught my attention when I followed Anakin was the place where we were going. It was the size of the Jedi temple. Easily. There were entire sections made of glass, crystals that created little multi-coloured rainbows in the sky and a few ventilation grates that didn't even look like ventilation grates unless you looked really close. That was because there were blocks in front of them decorated with moving images and random bursts of snow or rain would come out of them every now and again. It certainly took my mind off of being nervous for a while.

As we walked into the building through some sliding glass doors I didn't notice the force wielders moving into the ship to heal Master Kenobi. They really were as skilled as Anakin had said they were. We walked through corridors that seemed normal but out of the windows I could see the sky and that was not normal in my opinion. It was yellow. Yellow. I have never heard of a single planet that has a yellow sky and I could have sworn it was fading to this lightish green colour. Anakin had this spring in his step and I had to admit that I had never seen him this happy. Not once on Coruscant did I see him look as happy as he did now. It was rather strange to think that simply being on a planet could have this effect on him.

Then we turned a corner and walked into a room where there were three adults and two kids. The two who had tried to tackle down Anakin when he walked down the landing ramp were sat on the couch playing on what I knew were gaming devices since their eyes were glued to the screens. Then there were the three adults in the room. Two males and one female so I guessed the female one was named Saddie. Sat next to her was a guy who's face lit up as Anakin came back in the room and he had a cocky smirk plastered to his face that said this was the D person who had been talking to him on the ship. I had no idea who the other one was but he wore a long white robe and had long white hair and an even longer white beard.

"Anakin," The man who's name I didn't know greeted with a smile and then he saw me. "And you must be Ahsoka Tano. The first dimidium semino to be born on Primus."

You know I hadn't actually known that when Anakin brought me here so now I was fairly surprised. This made me wonder what else Anakin hadn't told me but I really couldn't be bothered to get mad. Anakin always managed to beat me in our arguments and the fact that he could hold his own against Master Kenobi and had taken on the entire Jedi council in an argument was proof enough that he was not to be messed with.

"Hello," I said since it was the first thing I could think of.

"Now, how has life been like with Anakin?" He asked.

I didn't even need to think for that one. "Interesting."

The guy known as D burst out laughing and didn't stop even when Saddie smacked him on the arm. "Oh, come on, you have to give me this one! Interesting? He almost got us vaporized and turned into fish when we were nine! Oh Anakin, my friend, you've lost your touch."

"I hardly think so," Anakin replied. "I managed to get a dark force wielder after her and that tops any of the things I got you into."

"What -"

"Anyway," D got cut off by the white robed man. "My name is Ludforber and I was Anakin's mentor. You do know about what will happen once you turn eleven and three quarters don't you?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Then you know that you must be given an injection."

"Yes."

"Wonderful," He smiled brightly and clapped his hands together. "We can all get out of here before the prime minister returns. Anakin, you do know what to do don't you?"

"Yes Ludforber, I know." Anakin replied and the next second he was holding a seriously small syringe in his hand. It was tiny compared to the ones I'd seen. "Snips, it won't hurt at all. Mostly because you've had ones twice the size of this but you know what I mean."

I didn't even bother looking at it and instead looked at the floor. It took a second. A _second_. I have had injections that lasted up to twenty seconds and all along it's only supposed to take _one_? I wasn't very happy about that but Anakin had been right. It didn't hurt. Although I did feel a little bit odd and remembered what Anakin had said about the injection. It mixed with the particles a person had from their force wielder side and made them immortal. You know what that meant? I was immortal now. Or at least I was going to be once the injection took effect. That was a scary thought. Me being immortal felt a little strange considering I had lived all of my life up until that point as a mortal.

"All done," Anakin said and the syringe disappeared from his hand through his use of the force. "We should probably get you settled in before doing anything else, Ahsoka. And if Obi-Wan's not awake to know all of the decisions then he's going to kill me. By the way, nether travel only makes you feel ill for the first few times you try it."

I frowned, knowing that something was up. "But I can't nether travel."

"No, but I can." He touched my shoulder and then we weren't in the room where everyone else was sat anymore. We were on an asteroid floating in space with my stomach groaning loudly in protest.


	36. The Asteroid, Ahsoka Tano

**He's Not Our Enemy**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, all credit goes to George Lucas and Lucasarts.**

**Summary: After vanishing from the Jedi temple ten years ago, Anakin Skywalker is found. The Jedi imprison him until he decides to tell them what happened to him. After getting lost after fleeing from some of her abusive class mates, Ahsoka stumbles into Anakin's room and discovers a side to the force she never knew.**

_**The Asteroid, **__**Ahsoka Tano**_

I wasn't have the best of times after my first experience of nether travel. The main reason for that was that I was throwing up. A lot. I didn't see how it was possible since my stomach was empty but there you go. Anakin conjured up a bucket for me to vomit in and just cleared it up with the force every time I heaved. It was disgusting. I made a silent vow in my head that if I ever wanted to learn nether travel it would be because someone had persuaded me it was a good idea or because I didn't throw up every time I did it. Anyway, once I'd stopped heaving my stomach was completely empty and hurt worse than getting my arm broken in the competition.

"_Ow_," I complained, clutching my stomach. "I _hate_ nether travel."

"You'll get used to it," Anakin said. "Unless you want to throw up every time I take you down to the planet's surface."

"Ow..." I continued to moan.

"Relax, Snips. Once we get inside I'll get you something to eat." Anakin offered.

"Can't you just heal me?"

"This is a problem caused by needing food. Not something that has openly or internally wounded you in some way. You'll be fine once you've had something to eat."

I didn't argue and looked around. We were standing on your typical asteroid terrain but in front of us it was an entirely different story. There was grass, _grass_, in a short area that surrounded a large house made of wood. You heard me, _wood_. I have never once seen a house made of wood in my entire life since the republic has way more advanced technology to make sturdier homes for people. The house was massive and had balconies where you could look out at the front yard. The front yard had a fountain in the middle that had clear water which was coloured deep blue like the oceans on Naboo but didn't look like salt water. I guessed it was fresh water since salt water fountains were things that I hadn't seen.

If you looked up you could see space itself with this barely visible field surrounding the asteroid. That was probably the ozone layer that was preventing all of the gas from escaping and protecting us from solar flares. Think of it like a really cool house in the middle of nowhere with a view of space wherever you looked and an awesome looking force wielder planet below. There was what looked like a speeder in the front but it had obviously been modified a hundred times and I instantly knew that it was Anakin's doing. He never stopped tinkering with things unless there was something really important that needed doing or there was a pod-racing show on the HoloNet. But I doubted they had the HoloNet way out here.

"You'll need a key for when you need to get inside in the future," Anakin explained as he handed me this silver thing that I'd never seen before. "The door won't open otherwise."

"Right," I said slowly. "And what is this?"

"A key."

"It doesn't look like a key," I said. "It's small and silver and there's no door panel on your door for it to go in. And what's that handle thing for?"

Anakin sighed with a smile. "I forgot, you're only used to technology and stuff." He muttered. "This is what a door would have looked like thousands of years ago. I personally don't know why anyone would swap them for automatic doors since there is no sense of privacy or personal touch on a big metal slab."

"I'm not following you."

"Just follow me and I'll show you how the door works," Anakin said. "It's really simple and easy. Nothing that you won't be able to do."

I highly doubted that since that... 'door' wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. Anakin led me up the yard, past the fountain and right up to the front doorstep. There were two steps made of wood that led up to the door and decking that led around the whole front area. There were hammocks and swinging chairs and deck chairs on the decking and I hadn't really seen ones that looked so low tech before. Everything was low tech and I realized that a force wielder didn't need any of the stuff that we did back on Coruscant. They could just get what they needed with a single thought and that meant everything else could be old style and look like a historic site that was beautiful but really hard to live in if you were a normal person from my galaxy.

"Here's how it works," Anakin explained. "You put the key in there like this," He put the weird silver object into the tiny slot in the door. "And turn it," He did. "Then you turn the handle and the door is open."

I frowned. "This seems really out of style, Anakin. It's like your one of those elderly people on an outer rim planet."

Anakin blanched and pouted. "Fine," He waved his hand and the door was suddenly a metallic one that automatically opened and the silver 'keys' we had were now door panel cards. "Happy now?"

I nodded with a smile. "Yes, it looks more like something I would know."

"Yeah, well, don't expect me to change anything else for you." Anakin said seriously. "Everything else inside is high tech and all the stuff that you don't need but want to have anyway." He waved his hand and the door slid open. "After you."

Now I had lots of experience with the way Anakin tended to live. I had no doubts at all that if Master Kenobi hadn't constantly nagged him to keep his living area clean then there would be things strewn out everywhere. And that's exactly what I saw when I walked inside. It wasn't one of those hallways that you expected to see but instead a front room that led all the way to the back so it was actually a living area. There were parts of droids in every possible place and the lights came on once you walked inside. There was a set of sofas in the room just in front of a screen that had a _lot_ of devices underneath it. A gaming unit, along with another one, a set of games and DVD's mixed in together, what was probably one of those boxes that allowed you to have a thousand channels to chose from and _another_ gaming unit. It was like the home of a thirteen year old who lived on their own.

"Woah," I said with arched eye marks. "So this is what it's like when you live alone."

Anakin rolled his eyes and flicked his wrist. All of the droid pieces floated around the room until they were all stacked neatly in the corner so that there was way more space than there was last time. However, there actually wasn't that much space left in the room since it was _packed_. There was enough space to move around no problem but there was a coffee table in the middle of the set of three sofas so you could put things there and right now there was the remote for channel surfing and controllers for the three different gaming units. There were comfortable chairs in various locations such as in front of a desk that looked like it was used as rarely as possible, a bookcase which I was amazed Anakin even had and a set of chairs around a small table.

"There are lots of other rooms," Anakin said. "A room devoted entirely to games where the entire room is programmed to become whatever game you want and you are the player. You don't actually get hurt but you can get thrown about at times. The bathroom is upstairs and the first door on the right and there are three bedrooms. One that I use and the other two I haven't really needed to use. Guests usually stay in those but I guess one of them is yours now. The kitchen is next to the games room and the lounge is to our left where the staircase is. The backdoor is in the sunroof area and if you go through it then you reach the backyard. Any questions?"

"Yeah," I then asked. "Are there any rooms that I shouldn't go into?"

"My room," Anakin answered. "Unless you want to get your head cut off by a psycho training droid."

I nodded. "Okay."

"I'll show you upstairs so you know where your bedroom is. It's probably going to be the one next to the bathroom instead of my room because I can be pretty loud and no-one should have to deal with that kind of problem."

We walked through the doorway, which didn't have a door, to our left and I saw the lounge. There were couches and chairs set up all over the room and lights in the ceiling with tables and lava lamps that made the entire place seem really, really cool. There were also neon lights and everything. I wondered what the place looked like when the lights were all off and the curtains were pulled on the windows. There was an aquarium in one corner with the most beautiful fish I had ever seen and the walls were either windows of made of wood painted a nice maple colour. I could see why Anakin liked living here. Especially when the design made this room look like party central when all of the lights were turned on and it totally fit into Anakin's personality. He always did like being carefree.

The staircase led upwards and was connected to the wall which meant you could only see half of it before the ceiling cut off the view. They were made of this white kind of wood with a blue carpet leading up the middle. I noticed that every floor had blue carpet that looked really soft and went well with the design of the place. Anakin led me upstairs and it was pretty much plain up there which I didn't mind. Blue carpet in the hallway with wooden plank walls and doors that were, thankfully, mechanical leading into each room. They were all labeled at the top so I knew which was which. The bathroom was right where Anakin said it was and his room was at the far end of the hallway and undoubtedly the biggest room of the lot since there was way more space between his door and the other one than there was between the one that was mine and the bathroom.

Anakin waved his hand over the sign saying '_guest room_' above the door and it changed to say, '_Ahsoka's room_' instead.

He opened the door for me using the door panel, thank force there actually was one, and I could see that it was basically a plain old room. White bed sheets with a blue carpet and wooden walls. There was one bed side table and not a thing else.

"You can make any improvements you want," Anakin said. "You'll learn how to make new things to put in here and you can just ask me otherwise. The mattress is the softest one I could find just like in my room and the other guest bedroom. Clothes appear in the wardrobe which is in the corner so you can't see it right now and you just have to type in the code for them so that they appear. That means no clothes shopping. Which I _hate_. You want to settle in or does you stomach come first?"

"Stomach," I chose and Anakin made a bag of shurra fruit appear and he handed it to me. When I looked inside I realized that there were other types of fruit in there too that I hadn't seen before. They looked and smelt delicious so I had absolutely no problems with trying them. I instantly felt better and Anakin smiled.

"Glad you feel better, Snips." He said. "Now you should get settled in for a few minutes in your room whilst I go and sort some stuff out. Then we need to decide what to do about your school and stuff."

"School?" I questioned with a frown. "You mean like a public school thing?"

Anakin frowned. "No, not a public school. Can you imagine that? The kid who lives with the chosen one going to a public school? You would not make it through the first day there, Snips. And I don't have it in me to let you get mobbed by other force wielding kids. I'll introduce you to Simon and Jack. They're Saddie's kids and she's only two hundred and eight."

My eyes went wide. "Two hundred and eight?"

"Ahsoka, these are _immortal _force wielders you live with now. But Jack and Simon are your age. Eleven almost twelve and still in first school."

"First school?"

Anakin sighed. "It's what you call a primary school back on Coruscant," He explained. "Do you want to go to school straight away or learn a few things first?"

"Definitely learn a few things," I said as I knew that I did not want to be beaten up by other force wielders.

"Okay, I'm going downstairs for a few minutes and I'll be back once I've called Simon and Jack and then you can get to know them and stuff." Anakin frowned. "I wonder if I should make sure they don't try to freeze you or something."

"Freeze me?"

"Don't worry about it," Anakin assured me. "Go inside your room, sit down and eat and then I don't really mind. I'll be back in five. I promise."

He turned and walked back down the hallway. I saw him walking down the stairs and taking a com. link out of his pocket and then I was alone. I looked up at the ceiling and saw that there were swirling lights up there that lit up the entire area. I couldn't help but wonder if they were what lit up the space downstairs since I hadn't really been looking when there were tons of cool stuff around for me to look at. After looking around for a few more seconds, I walked inside the room that was now mine and saw exactly what Anakin had said was there. A wardrobe hidden from view if you looked through the door was neatly tucked away in the corner and everything else was exactly where Anakin said it would be.

I sat down on the bed and realized that it was really, really comfortable. If I wasn't munching on about twenty different types of fruit then I might have fallen asleep right then but I'd learned from Anakin that food always takes priority. I didn't feel sick anymore which was a good thing and I didn't feel as nervous as I was before. To be honest, I was thinking about the first school that Anakin wanted to send me to. I was almost twelve years old which meant it wasn't long before I would be moving up to the next school where all of the older kids went. Also, I was a little worried about how many years you stayed in school for. I thought about Anakin's friend behind two hundred years old and having gone to school with him... it just seemed so strange in my mind.

Then there was Master Kenobi and I didn't even know what was going to happen to him. Anakin was never going to let any harm come to him but that didn't mean I was definitely going to see the Jedi master again. I waited in my room for five minutes just like Anakin said I should and the moment five minutes passed he was standing in my doorway just like he'd promised. He looked even happier and I couldn't think why. In his hand was a device I'd never seen before and it had images floating around it like the ones on a screen. Except there wasn't a screen so I guessed it was one of those really high tech devices where you could do whatever you wanted and such.

"Hey Snips," Anakin said. "You want to come downstairs now? Simon and Jack are going to be here in about three minutes to see you."

I nodded and stood up. "Okay," I agreed. "What's going to happen to Master Kenobi?"

"Well we'll get a call once he's been healed and then I'll bring him back here," Anakin replied. "It's all going to be fine. Then I can help you look for a school you want to go to although I already have an idea of where you should go. Anyway, let's go downstairs and I'll show you this really cool game to play."

Now you may not know this but games that are made by force wielders tend to be way better than games made by non force sensitives or just plain force users. I figured this out the moment Anakin showed me his game collection. There weren't just pod-racing games, believe it or not, even though the pod-racing games looked pretty good if I was honest. I saw blaster games, games where you were in the times of swords and shields and had to run around doing quests for people, this football game which I wasn't too sure about and a whole series of games where you basically started out as a rogue Jedi for hire in every game, slowly progressed up to a higher rank in society and you had a lightsaber that you could customize. I chose that one to play and started to play the first of the seven game series with Anakin showing me the controls and stuff.

I was just about stumbling through the first level when there was a knock on the door and the two kids known as Simon and Jack came barreling in. They almost knocked Anakin off his feet with two bear hugs at the exact same time but I guess he must have had a lot of practice preventing himself from falling over. Their mother, Saddie, was with them along with D and they started talking with Anakin and laughing about things I couldn't even understand. Simon and Jack came to sit next to me and since the game allowed up to four players they joined in and showed me what to do. It was like we'd been friends for years or something and I had to say that the uncomfortable feeling that you get when you meet a new person disappeared in just under four minutes. Even after Anakin had left the room I didn't feel bothered.

"What are those?" I asked as about twenty weird creatures appeared and started attacking our in game characters.

"Lesteroins," Jack explained. "Like the ones you get in the dunes on the east side of the planet."

"You mean these things are actually real?" I questioned in surprise as I sliced two of them in half with my green lightsaber. They were slimy, hissing creatures with two heads and arms for legs. They were also covered in feathers that were stuck to their bodies and dripping gunk.

"Yeah," Simon said. "But we don't see a lot of them since they only live in deserts."

They both sounded so calm about it. I noticed that they were having no problems slicing up the monsters on the game whereas I was jumping over them and trying to regain my health before I died. Once we'd killed all twenty of the Lesteroins and I'd changed my characters clothes since they were now covered in blood and the insides of the monsters, which Simon and Jack didn't seem to mind, we continued to play the game but we didn't see any monsters for a while. That was because we'd all gone back to base to polish our lightsabers and stuff like that. I couldn't understand how Jack had already got eight upgrades on his character but Simon assured me that Jack played games as often as he could and not to worry about it.

We built some add ons, got some speeders and went on a high speed drive in a random forest area because Simon and Jack got, and I quote, 'bored'. There had to be about a hundred different types of monsters in there that I had never even seen before and I was barely alive once we got out. My character looked like she'd just been through hell and back again and I was a little flustered since some of the monsters jumped out at you and made you scream. I wasn't the first one who screamed, luckily, but that doesn't mean I came out of that unscathed. Then I got told that the forest we'd been in was just the _easy_ part of the game and that since you could do whatever you wanted there were thousands of monsters to kill that were ten times harder than those ones. I was glad that I wasn't just playing on my own.

That was how it went for the next few hours. We just played on the game and made tons of progress but didn't even manage to get a quarter of the way through. Apparently, games made by force wielders have so much data on them that it can take you a month to complete them even when you do everything right first time and don't stop playing. I knew that most of my time was going to involve playing games. Then we looked out of one of the windows and saw that it was dark out. Now I know what you're thinking. How can it be dark out when you are living on an asteroid? Well, Anakin used the force to make it so that the asteroid has its own axis and weather system. That means it can rain and snow and everything. So when our side of the asteroid faces away from the sun it gets completely dark. You can only see the stars that are far away and not the big ball of gas that has a field around it so you can look and not get your eyes burnt.

Of course, as soon as it got to pitch black Simon and Jack had to go home. They had school the next morning and it was already ten o'clock at night with them not having had any dinner yet. I couldn't believe that you could make time pass so quickly by playing video games. Then Anakin and his friend D came back in to see them all off and sat down on the couch to play the game with me. I wasn't so sure if D had ever played this game before since his character just kept walking around in circles but Anakin had definitely played before. It wasn't because it was in his house and everything but mostly because of the way he played. He made tons of modifications to our base so that when you walked inside a droid greeted you with a list of options and there was ten new lightsaber modification kits in the storage shed. But then it got to just after midnight and D had to go and Anakin said that it was time for sleep.

I wasn't very happy about the idea since I didn't even feel tired and wanted to stay up and play the game some more but he stood firm in his reasoning. He said that if he didn't Master Kenobi was going to kill him and make he rules ten times as strict. I still wasn't very happy about it but then Anakin said that there were no chronos around so I could sleep in for as long as I wanted and I warmed up to the idea somewhat. He had to go and talk with a few people to make sure nothing bad came of his 'absence' but wanted me to go to sleep before he left so that he could put all of the protective stuff around the house and ensure nobody could get in.

I went upstairs to my bedroom, changed into some striped pajamas that I got from my wardrobe and got into bed. The bed was so comfortable that it took me about a minute to close my eyes properly and fall asleep.


End file.
